Compositions comprising soluble cd84 or anti-cd84 antibodies and methods for diagnosing and treating b-cll

ABSTRACT

A method of diagnosing B-CLL in a subject in need thereof is provided. The method comprising determining in a biological sample of the subject a level of CD84 isoform C (SEQ ID NO: 30), wherein an increase in the level of the CD84 isoform C (SEQ ID NO: 30) beyond a predetermined threshold with respect to a level of the CD84 in a biological sample from a healthy individual is indicative of the B-CLL.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/827,337 filed on Aug. 17, 2015, which is a division of a U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/172,926 filed on Feb. 5, 2014, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,109,029, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/120,442 filed on Mar. 23, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,686,121,which is a National Phase of PCT Patent Application No.PCT/IL2009/000919 having International Filing Date of Sep. 23, 2009,which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/136,651 filed on Sep. 23, 2008. The contents of theabove applications are all incorporated herein by reference.

SEQUENCE LISTING STATEMENT

The ASCII file, entitled 77284SequenceListing.txt, created on Jun. 3,2019, comprising 29,722 bytes, submitted concurrently with the filing ofthis application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates tocompositions and methods for diagnosing and treating B-CLL.

In normal individuals, the pool of peripheral lymphocytes is constant insize. The control of lymphoid homeostasis is the result of a very finebalance between lymphocyte production, survival, and proliferation.Survival factors have been shown to play a critical role in maintaininglymphocyte homeostasis.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common leukemia in the Westernworld, is characterized by the progressive accumulation of CD5⁺ smallmature lymphocytes, in the peripheral blood, lymphoid organs and bonemarrow. The hallmark of the disease is decreased apoptosis, resulting inaccumulation of these malignant cells. Despite major progress in thelast few years in the understanding of the biology and pathophysiologyof the disease, as well as the development of better treatmentmodalities, CLL remains incurable in most patients, and even control ofthe disease requires aggressive treatment with significant side effects.A better understanding of the cellular events involved in thepathogenesis and progression of the disease should lead to more targetedand less toxic therapies, with early treatment in patients at risk,possibly enabling cure.

Previous studies have shown that CLL lymphocytes express relativelylarge amounts of the CD74 (invariant chain; Ii) mRNA compared to normalB cells, and this receptor regulates cell survival in an IL-8 dependentmanner.

CD74 is a non-polymorphic type II integral membrane protein that isexpressed on antigen presenting cells, including macrophages and Bcells. It has a short N-terminal cytoplasmic tail of 28 amino acids(aa), followed by a single 24 aa transmembrane region, and a lumenaldomain of approximately 150 aa. The CD74 chain was initially thought tofunction mainly as an MHC class II chaperone, which promotes ER exit ofMHC class II molecules, directs them to endocytic compartments, preventspeptide binding within the ER, and contributes to peptide editing in theMHC class II compartment. A small proportion of CD74 is modified by theaddition of chondroitin sulfate (CD74-CS), and this form of CD74 isexpressed on the surface of antigen presenting cells. It was previouslyshown that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) binds to theCD74 extracellular domain on macrophages, a process that results in theinitiation of a signaling pathway in these cells. MIF promotesmonocyte/macrophage activation and is required for the optimalexpression of TNF, IL-1 and PGE2. MIF-activated macrophages are morephagocytic and better able to destroy intracellular pathogens, such asLeishmania.

CD44 is a broadly-expressed single-pass transmembrane protein with knownkinase-activating properties.

Recently, CD44 was described as an integral component of the CD74receptor complex. While CD74 is sufficient for the binding of MIF to thecell surface, CD44 was found to be necessary for MIF signaltransduction. CD74 expressed on B cells is directly involved in shapingthe B cell repertoire by regulating mature B cell survival [Shachar etal. Science. 1996; 274:106-108; Matza et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.2002; 99:3018-3023; Matza et al. 2003 Trends Immunol. 24:246-248]through a pathway leading to the activation of transcription mediated bythe NF-κB p65/RelA homodimer and its co-activator, TAFII105 [Matza etal. J Biol Chem. 2001; 276:27203-27206]. NF-κB activation is mediated bythe cytosolic region of CD74 (CD74-ICD), which is liberated from themembrane [Matza et al. Immunity. 2002; 17:549-560]. Following theremoval of the CD74 lumenal domain, an intramembranal cleavage eventoccurs at amino acid 42, resulting in the release of the CD74 cytosolicfragment (CD74-ICD; aa 1-42). CD74-ICD then translocates to the cellnucleus and activates NF-κB [Becker-Herman Cell. 2005; 16:5061-5069].Thus, following this processing step, CD74 acts as a signaling moleculethat induces accumulation of mature B cells. This signal is attenuatedby degradation of the active CD74-ICD fragment, and its removal from thecytoplasm. Moreover, CD74 stimulation by MIF leads to NF-κB activation,enabling entry of the stimulated B cells into the S phase, an increasein DNA synthesis, cell division, and augmented expression ofanti-apoptotic proteins in a CD44 dependent manner. These findingsindicate that surface CD74 functions as a survival receptor.

Interestingly, both MIF and CD74 have been associated with tumorprogression. It was reported that MIF mRNA is over-expressed in varioustumors and MIF has also been associated with the growth of malignantcells [Bando et al. Jpn J Cancer Res. 2002; 93:389-396; Nishihira et al.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003; 995:171-182]. Many studies have demonstrated theoverexpression of CD74 in various cancers including CLL [Narni et al.Blood. 1986; 68:372-377]. CD74 expression in many of these cancers hasbeen suggested to serve as a prognostic factor, with higher relativeexpression of CD74 behaving as a marker of tumor progression [Mizue etal. Int J Mol Med. 2000; 5:397-403]. Activation of CD74 by MIF on B-CLLcells, initiates a signaling cascade that contributes to tumorprogression. This pathway induces NF-κB activation, resulting in thesecretion of interleukin 8 (IL-8), which in turn promotes cell survival.Blocking of this pathway leads to decreased cell survival. Thus, CD74expressed on the surface of B-CLL cells plays a critical role inregulating the survival of these malignant cells [Binsky et al. ProcNatl Acad Sci USA. 2007; 104:13408-13413]. Molecules which participatein CD74 signaling may thus be used as new targets and generation oftherapeutic platforms for the treatment of chronic lymphoid leukemia.

CD84 is a member of the CD2 subset of the immunoglobulin superfamily ofcell surface molecules. It is a single chain cell-surface protein withan extracellular portion of 199 aa, which contains four potentialN-glycosylation sites. The transmembrane region consists of 25 aa, andthe 83 aa cytoplasmic tail contains four tyrosines [delaFuente et al.Blood. 1997; 90:2398-2405]. The human CD84 is 57.3% identical to murineCD84. CD84 is predominantly expressed by B cells, T cells, platelets,monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and CD84 is also expressed early inhematopoiesis [Calpe et al. Advances in Immunology, Vol 97. 2008;97:177-250].

Based on the expression of CD84, B cells can be subdivided intoCD84^(hi) and CD84^(lo) populations. The CD84^(hi) population representsa subset of memory B cells, which are characterized by co-expression ofCD27, somatically mutated Ig variable region genes, and vigorousproliferation in response to CD40L and IL-4, compared to CD84^(lo) Bcells.

Nevertheless, the role of CD84 in the biology of these cells is notknown. A striking feature of human CD84 is the expression of a complexseries of isoforms with several cytoplasmic tails in tumor cells [Palouet al. Tissue Antigens. 2000; 55:118-127]. The expression and functionalrelevance of these variants are still unknown. Two CD84 transcripts havebeen described to date in murine tissues. CD84 strongly self-associateswith a Kd in the submicromolar range; the association is driven by theIg-V domain, forming an orthogonal homophilic dimer.

Additional Related Art

U.S. Patent Application Number 20050027114 discloses methods of treatingdiseases such as chronic leukemia by agonizing or antagonizing anactivity of a cd84-like polypeptide.

U.S. Patent Application Number 20050025789 discloses the treatment orprophylaxis of tumors in patients, using a costimulatory polypeptide(e.g., CD84)-expressing tumor cell for producing a vaccine forincreasing the lytic activity of NK cells.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a method of diagnosing B-CLL in a subject in needthereof, the method comprising determining in a biological sample of thesubject a level of CD84 isoform C (SEQ ID NO: 30) wherein an increase inthe level of the CD84 isoform C (SEQ ID NO: 30) beyond a predeterminedthreshold with respect to a level of the CD84 in a biological samplefrom a healthy individual is indicative of the B-CLL.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a use of an agent which decreases activity orexpression of CD84 in the manufacture of a medicament for treatingB-CLL.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a use of an agent which decreases activity orexpression of CD84 for treating B-CLL.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a method of inducing apoptosis in a B cells of asubject having B-CLL, the method comprising administering to the subjecta therapeutically effective amount of an agent which decreases activityor expression of CD84, thereby inducing apoptosis in B cells of thesubject.

A method of treating B-CLL in a subject in need thereof, the methodcomprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effectiveamount of an agent which decreases activity or expression of CD84,thereby treating B-CLL.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acidsequence of a soluble CD84, wherein the soluble CD84 binds CD84expressed on B cells and inhibits its homophilic interaction.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising a solubleCD84, wherein the soluble CD84 binds CD84 expressed on B cells andinhibits its homophilic interaction.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided an isolated polypeptide having the CDR sequences ofthe anti CD84 extracellular domain antibody produced by the hybridomawhich has been deposited at the CNCM Pasteur Institut under the depositnumber CNCM 1-4228 (F8). The name and address of the depositor isCNCM—Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes, InstitutPasteur, 25 Rue du Docteur Roax, F-75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.According to some embodiments of the invention, the polypeptide is anantibody or an antibody fragment.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the biological samplecomprises B cells and wherein the determining is in the B cells.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the determining iseffected at the mRNA level.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the determining iseffected at the protein level.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the method furthercomprising corroborating the diagnosis using a diagnostic assay selectedfrom surface marker expression distinctive of the CD84 isoform c,karyotype analysis and germline mutations.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the method furthercomprising informing the subject of the disease.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the agent comprises asoluble CD84, wherein the soluble CD84 binds CD84 expressed on B cellsand inhibits its homophilic interaction.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the soluble CD84comprises an extracellullar domain of CD84 and is devoid of atransmembrane domain of CD84.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the soluble CD84 isfused to a moiety for increasing solubility of the soluble CD84.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the soluble CD84 is asset forth in SEQ ID NO: 2.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the agent comprises anucleic acid agent which decreases expression of the CD84.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the agent comprises aCD84 neutralizing antibody.

According to some embodiments of the invention, an isolatedpolynucleotide comprising the nucleic acid sequence encoding the solubleCD84.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific terms usedherein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used inthe practice or testing of embodiments of the invention, exemplarymethods and/or materials are described below. In case of conflict, thepatent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition,the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are notintended to be necessarily limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed incolor. Copies of this patent or patent application publication withcolor drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and paymentof the necessary fee.

Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specificreference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that theparticulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrativediscussion of embodiments of the invention. In this regard, thedescription taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled inthe art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1A-1B show elevated expression of hCD84 in B-CLL cells. B cellsderived from healthy subjects (normal), as well as early- andadvanced-stage B-CLL patients, were purified. (A) CD84 mRNA was analyzedby RT-PCR. The results presented are representative of 2 normal, 6early-stage, and 6 advanced-stage B-CLL patients. (B) Cells were stainedwith anti-CD84. Histograms show CD84 expression on B-CLL as well as onnormal B cells. The results presented are representative of 2 normal, 7early-stage, and 6 advanced-stage B-CLL patients.

FIGS. 2A-2D show that CD84 is a target gene of CD74 in B-CLL cells. (A,B) B cells derived from B-CLL patients were purified. Cells wereincubated in the presence or absence of MIF. (A) Following 18 h, RNA waspurified, and CD84 and actin mRNA was analyzed. The results presentedare representative of 6 early and 4 advanced B-CLL patients. (B)Following 24 h, cells were stained with anti-CD84. Histograms show CD84expression on B-CLL. The results presented are representative of 3 earlyand 6 advanced B-CLL patients. (C, D) B-CLL cells were incubated in thepresence or absence of MIF (100 ng/ml), ISO-1 (20 mM). (C) Following 18h, RNA was purified and levels of CD84 and actin mRNA were analyzed. Theresults presented are representative of 4 B-CLL patients. (D) Following24 h, cells were stained with anti-CD84. Histograms show CD84 expressionon B-CLL. The results presented are representative of 5 B-CLL patients.

FIGS. 3A-3B show that activation of cell surface CD84 initiates tyrosinephosphorylation and a survival cascade in B-CLL cells. B-CLL cells wereincubated in the presence or absence of anti-CD84 (1 ng/ml) for 30minutes. The cells were then washed, and bound mAb was cross-linked withF(ab′)2 gout anti mouse Ig. (A) Cells were immunoprecipitated withanti-pTyr over night and lysed. Lysates were separated on 8% (wt/vol)SDS/PAGE and blotted with anti-CD84 antibody (results presented arerepresentative of 3 separate experiments). (B) Following 18 h, RNA waspurified and levels of Bcl-2, IL-8 and actin mRNA were analyzed. Theresults presented are representative of 7 B-CLL patients.

FIGS. 4A-4B show that activation of cell surface CD84 initiates asurvival cascade in HEK 293 cells. HEK-293 cells transfected withfull-length (FL) CD84 or with an empty plasmid constructs. (A) Following8 h, RNA was purified and levels of CD84, Bcl-2, and actin mRNA wereanalyzed. The results presented are representative of 2 independentexperiments with similar results. (B) Following 24 hours, cells werelysed by hot SDS, and the lysates were then separated on 12% (wt/vol)SDS/PAGE and blotted with anti-Myc, anti-Bcl-2 and tubulin antibody,followed by anti-mouse HRP antibodies. The results shown represent 8independent experiments with similar results.

FIG. 5 shows that activation of cell surface CD84 induces a survivalcascade in B-CLL cells. B-CLL cells were incubated in the presence orabsence of anti-CD84 (1 ng/ml) for 30 minutes. The cells were thenwashed, and bound mAb was cross-linked with F(ab′)2 gout anti mouse Igfor 26 h. Cells were stained with annexin V, PI and analyzed by FACS.The results presented are representative of 7 B-CLL patients.

FIGS. 6A-6B show analyses of mRNA coding CD84 isoforms. Total RNA,isolated from human B lymphocytes (either healthy control person, stageI or stage IV B-CLL patients) was subjected to semi-quantitative RT-PCRwith actin as a reference gene and analysed by 3% agarose gelelectrophoresis. The shown results are exemplary for the overexpressionof CD84C in B-CLL patients. The corresponding PCR product sizes for thedifferent isoforms are: a—477 bp; b—459 bp; c—426 bp; d—500 bp; e—272bp. The arrows on the left indicate the identity of the RT-PCR products.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the CD84—full construct andtyrosine mutated versions. Lp—leader peptide; IgV-immunoglobulin domaintype V; immunoglobulin type C2; TM—transmembrane; CD—cytoplasmic domain;myc/His—different tags. One letter amino acid designations are abovediagrams. “N” indicates predicted site of N-glycosylation,interconnected “C” indicate disulfide bonds. Length of construct 367amino acids.

FIGS. 8A-8D describe the double mutations CD84 (Y262/Y299 or Y279/Y324)and their effects on down regulation of Bcl-2 in CD84 transfected 293cells: FIGS. 8A-8C—293 cells were transfected with empty vector, CD84full, CD84(Y262F, Y299F)=A2 and CD84(Y279F, Y324F)=B2. FIG. 8A—18 h posttransfection RNA was purified. Quantitative Real time PCR was performedusing primers for Bcl-2 and RP-2. qRTPCR—Results are expressed as a foldof change in Bcl-2 expression compared to empty, which was defined as 1.N=3 transfections. FIG. 8B—40 h post transfection cells Lysates weresubjected to analysis by 12% SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The graph showsthe average fold change in Bcl-2 Expression of 6 different experiments.FIG. 8C—6 h after transfection the medium was replenished and CD84 wasactivated using CD84 activating antibody. 24 h later the cells wereharvested and subjected to 12% SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis forBcl-2 expression. The graph shows the average fold change in Bcl-2expression of 4 different experiments. FIG. 8D—293 cells weretransfected with empty vector, CD84 full, or CD84 full plus CD84-ECD.The cells were subjected to 12% SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis forBcl-2 expression. The results Presented are representative out of 5.

FIG. 9 show overexpression of un-mutated and tyrosine mutated CD84affects the Tap63 expression. HEK 293T cells were transfected with pEF4(empty vector), Cd84-full (un-mutated) and CD84 double mutants asindicated. 8 h or 32 h post transfection the cells were subjected tosemiquantitative RT-PCR with actin as a reference gene, followinganalysis by 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis. The results of twoindependent experiments are shown.

FIGS. 10A-10D show the design, purification and identification ofCD84-ECD. (extracellular domain). (A) The scheme is drawn true to scale.See abbreviations as in FIG. 7 above. Length of construct 330 aminoacids. (B, C) Samples of different purification stages were analyzed on12% SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis with anti-Myc antibody (B) orCoomassie staining (C). Conditioned medium (lane 7) was purified withNi²⁺-metal chelate affinity chromatography (lane 1+5), followed by sizeexclusion chromatography. Lane 2-4 show the peak fractions of the sizeexclusion chromatography. (D) identification of CD84 construct byESI-MS/MS. The excised gel fragment of the Coomassie stained gel (c,lane 3) was analysed with limited proteolysis followed by ESI-MS/MS. Theprotein sequence is set in SEQ ID NO: 26. Matched peptides for Cd84 arehighlighted in red. This analysis was performed by the BiologicalService Unit of the Weizmann Institute.

FIG. 11 is a graph of size exclusion chromatography-FPLC (SEC-FPLC)elution profile for CD84-ECD protein. The graph shows a typical elutionprofile at 215, 260 and 280 nm. The peaks corresponding to the analyzedfraction are indicated by bars labeled with peak 1-3. The separation wasperformed on GE Healthcare HiLoad 16/60 Superdex 200 column.

FIGS. 12A-12C are photomicrographs showing the blocking effect ofCD84-ECD on CD84-Bcl-2 induced activation. (A) HEK 293T cells weretransfected with 2 μg pEF4 (empty vector), 2 μg CD84-full or 1 μgCD84-ECD to give a final amount of 2 μg DNA. The cells were subjected to12% SDS-PAGE and Western blot as indicated. (B) HEK 293Y cells weretransfected with equal amounts of pEF4 (empty vector) and CD84-ECD andsubjected to 12% SDS-PAGE and Western blot as indicated. (C) Westernblot analysis of transfected and co-transfected cells (equal amount ofCD84-full DNA). HEK 293T cells were transfected with 2 μg pEF4 (emptyvector), 2 μg CD84-full or 2 μg CD84-ECD plus 2 μg of CD84-ECD andsubjected to 12% SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis as described above.The total amount of DNA was kept constant by adding empty pEF4 plasmid.

FIG. 13 show the effect of CD84 ECD on Bcl-2 expression. The CD84s20cell line or HEK 293T cells were transfected with pEF4 (empty vector) orCD84-ECD. Twenty four hours following transfection, total RNA wasisolated, subjected to RT-PCR for the indicated genes.

FIG. 14 show the effect of CD84 ECD conditioned medium on BCL-2expression. Surface CD84 of the CD84s20 cell line was or was notcross-linked with anti-CD84 and anti-Fab antibody in the presence orabsence of different concentrations of CD84-ECD. Twenty four hoursfollowing treatment, total RNA was isolated, and RT-PCR for Bcl-2 andactin was performed.

FIGS. 15A-15C show that an anti CD84 blocking antibody induces B-CLLdeath. B-CLL cells were incubated in the presence or absence of MIF andCD84 blocking antibody. FIG. 15A—After 18 hours, RNA was purified. Bcl-2and actin mRNA levels were analyzed. N=4 patients. Quantitative Realtime PCR was performed using primers for Bcl-2 and RP-2. qRTPCR—Resultsare expressed as a fold of change in Bcl-2 expression by stimulatedcells compared to non-stimulated cells, which was defined as 1. N=3patients. FIG. 15B—Cells were lysed after 24 hr exposure to MIF and CD84blocking antibody, and Bcl-2 and tubulin expression were analyzed byWestern blot analysis. FIG. 15C—27 hours after application of MIF andcd84 blocking antibody, cells were stained with FLICA, and analyzed byFACS. N=5 patients.

FIGS. 16A-16B show the effect of Ab from hybridoma D1-300, F8-200 andF8-500 (different concentrations of the antibody) on B-CLL survival.FIG. 16A—B-CLL cells were incubated in the presence or absence ofconditioned medium derived from hybridoma D1-300 or F8-200 for 18 h. RNAwas purified. Quantitative Real time PCR was performed using primers forBcl-2 and RP-2. qRTPCR—Results are expressed as a fold of change inBcl-2 expression by stimulated cells compared to non-stimulated cells,which was defined as 1. N=3 patients. FIG. 16B—Cells were incubated inthe presence or absence of sup hybridoma for 24 h, cells were stainedwith magic red, and analyzed by FACS. N=1 patients.

FIG. 17 shows the effect of antibodies from hybridoma F8-200 and F8-500on B-CLL survival. Cells were incubated in the presence or absence ofMIF and conditioned medium derived from hybridoma F8-200 or F8-500 for24 h, cells were stained with magic red, and analyzed by FACS. N=1patients.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates tocompositions and methods for diagnosing and treating B-CLL.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in itsapplication to the details set forth in the following description orexemplified by the Examples. The invention is capable of otherembodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a malignant disease characterized bythe accumulation of B lymphocytes in the blood, lymphoid organs, andbone marrow, is the second most common type of leukemia in adults,accounting for about 7,000 new cases of leukemia each year. Presently,there is no cure for CLL, and the overall goal of leukemia treatment isto bring about a remission. Therefore, identifying new proteins that mayserve as a target for inducing cell death in the malignant cells ishighly desirable.

The present inventors have identified CD84 as a regulator protein thatis essential for the survival of CLL cells. As is illustratedhereinbelow and in the Examples section which follows, the presentinventors were able to show that B cells taken from CLL patients expressa high level of CD84 isoform C as compared to expression of same in Bcells of healthy subjects free of the disease. Stimulation of CD84 byMIF, upregulated the survival of B-CLL, as was evidenced by upregulationof Bcl-2 and reduction in annexin staining all being indicative of asurvival signal. However, inhibition of CD84 activity with a blockingantibody or a blocking peptide derived from CD84, downregulated theexpression of Bcl-2, thus inducing cell death. Therefore, the presentfindings set CD84 as a diagnostic marker for B-CLL and, being aregulator of B-CLL survival, as a target for the development of noveltherapeutic modalities. Thus, according to one aspect of the presentinvention there is provided a method of diagnosing B-CLL in a subject inneed thereof. The method comprising determining in a biological sampleof the subject a level of CD84 isoform C (SEQ ID NO: 30), wherein anincrease in said level of said CD84 isoform C (SEQ ID NO: 30) beyond apredetermined threshold with respect to a level of said CD84 in abiological sample from a healthy individual is indicative of the B-CLL.

As used herein the term “diagnosis” or “diagnosing” refers toclassifying a pathology (e.g., cancer, e.g., leukemia e.g., chroniclymphoid leukemia (CLL) e.g., B-CLL).

According to this aspect of the invention, the term “subject” or“subject in need thereof” refers to a mammalian e.g., human subjecthaving a routine check-up or screen for the pathology, as well as to asubject who is at risk of having the pathology such as due to familyhistory, environmental factors and/or a subject who exhibits suspiciousclinical signs of the pathology. Some clinical signs of B-CLL includebut are not limited to predisposition to repeated infections such aspneumonia, herpes simplex labialis, and herpes zoster; enlarged lymphnodes; early satiety and/or abdominal discomfort which can be related toan enlarged spleen; mucocutaneous bleeding and/or petechiae which may bedue to thrombocytopenia; tiredness and fatigue due to secondary toanemia; fevers, chills, and night sweats and weight loss; autoimmunehemolytic anemia.

As used herein the term “B-CLL” or “CLL” refers to an abnormalneoplastic proliferation of B-cells. CLL is considered to be identicalto a disease called small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), a type ofnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma which presents primarily in the lymph nodes. TheWorld Health Organization considers CLL and SLL to present differentstages of the same disease [Chiorazzi N, Rai K R, Ferrarini M (2005).“Chronic lymphocytic leukemia”. N. Engl. J. Med. 352 (8): 804-15].

As used herein the phrase “CD84 isoform C” refers to the isoform of CD84which is assigned with Accession Numbers AF054815.1 NP_003865.1 (NM003874, Q9UIB8-3). SEQ ID NOs: 29,30

Examples of “biological samples” include but are not limited to wholeblood, serum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, lymph fluids, andvarious external secretions of the respiratory, intestinal andgenitourinary tracts, tears, saliva, milk as well as white blood cells,tissues, cell culture e.g., primary culture. According to a specificembodiment, the biological sample comprises B cells.

B-CLL cells can be obtained from the blood, the bone marrow, the spleen,and/or the lymph nodes.

CD84 isoform C level can be determined at the protein level (level ofexpression and/or activity) or at the mRNA level (e.g., RT-PCR,real-time PCR etc.).

Following is a non-limiting list of examples of methods of determining alevel of CD84C.

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA):

This method involves a reaction between an enzyme and a substrate. Abiological sample which comprises CD84C is put in a microwell dish. Asubstrate specific antibody coupled to an enzyme is applied and allowedto bind to the substrate. Presence of the antibody is then detected andquantitated by a colorimetric reaction employing the enzyme coupled tothe antibody. Enzymes commonly employed in this method includehorseradish peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase. If well calibrated andwithin the linear range of response, the amount of substrate present inthe sample is proportional to the amount of color produced. A substratestandard is generally employed to improve quantitative accuracy.

Western Blot:

This method involves separation of a substrate from other protein bymeans of an acrylamide gel followed by transfer of the substrate to amembrane (e.g., nylon or PVDF). Presence of the substrate is thendetected by antibodies specific to the substrate, which are in turndetected by antibody binding reagents. Antibody binding reagents may be,for example, protein A, or other antibodies. Antibody binding reagentsmay be radiolabeled or enzyme linked as described hereinabove. Detectionmay be by autoradiography, colorimetric reaction or chemiluminescence.This method allows both quantitation of an amount of substrate anddetermination of its identity by a relative position on the membranewhich is indicative of a migration distance in the acrylamide gel duringelectrophoresis.

Radio-Immunoassay (RIA):

In one version, this method involves precipitation of the desiredprotein (i.e., the substrate) with a specific antibody and radiolabeledantibody binding protein (e.g., protein A labeled with I¹²⁵) immobilizedon a precipitable carrier such as agarose beads. The number of counts inthe precipitated pellet is proportional to the amount of substrate.

In an alternate version of the RIA, a labeled substrate and anunlabelled antibody binding protein are employed. A sample containing anunknown amount of substrate is added in varying amounts. The decrease inprecipitated counts from the labeled substrate is proportional to theamount of substrate in the added sample.

Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS):

This method involves detection of a substrate in situ in cells bysubstrate specific antibodies. The substrate specific antibodies arelinked to fluorophores. Detection is by means of a cell sorting machinewhich reads the wavelength of light emitted from each cell as it passesthrough a light beam. This method may employ two or more antibodiessimultaneously.

Immunohistochemical Analysis:

This method involves detection of a substrate in situ in fixed cells bysubstrate specific antibodies. The substrate specific antibodies may beenzyme linked or linked to fluorophores. Detection is by microscopy andsubjective or automatic evaluation. If enzyme linked antibodies areemployed, a colorimetric reaction may be required. It will beappreciated that immunohistochemistry is often followed bycounterstaining of the cell nuclei using for example Hematoxyline orGiemsa stain.

RT-PCR Analysis:

This method uses PCR amplification of relatively rare RNAs molecules.First, RNA molecules are purified from the cells and converted intocomplementary DNA (cDNA) using a reverse transcriptase enzyme (such asan MMLV-RT) and primers such as, oligo dT, random hexamers or genespecific primers. Then by applying gene specific primers and Taq DNApolymerase, a PCR amplification reaction is carried out in a PCRmachine. Those of skills in the art are capable of selecting the lengthand sequence of the gene specific primers and the PCR conditions (i.e.,annealing temperatures, number of cycles and the like) which aresuitable for detecting specific RNA molecules. It will be appreciatedthat a semi-quantitative RT-PCR reaction can be employed by adjustingthe number of PCR cycles and comparing the amplification product toknown controls.

Exemplary antibodies and assays that may be used to detect CD84C andfurther markers of the present invention are further described in theExamples section herein below.

As mentioned an increase in the level of the CD84C beyond apredetermined threshold with respect to the level of same in a similarsample from a healthy individual is indicative of the disease (e.g.,B-CLL).

As used herein, the phrase “biological sample from a healthy individual”refers to an unaffected control sample taken from a healthy subject(known not to have B-CLL) or from the same subject prior to the onset ofthe B-CLL (i.e., healthy). Since biological characteristics depend on,amongst other things, species and age, it is preferable that the controlsaliva come from a subject of the same species, age. Alternatively,control data may be taken from databases and literature. It will beappreciated that the control sample may also be taken from the diseasedsubject at a particular time-point, in order to analyze the progression(i.e., monitoring) of the disease.

The term “increase” according to specific embodiment should bestatistically significant.

Once diagnosis is made, the subject may be informed of the disease I.e.,presence or absence of same and potential therapies for B-CLL.

To improve assay sensitivity, the method may further comprisecorroborating the diagnosis using a diagnostic assay selected fromsurface marker expression distinctive of said CD84 isoform c, karyotypeanalysis and germline mutations.

Following is a non-limiting list of such assays/markers which can beused to corroborate the diagnosis of B-CLL.

Cell surface markers—B-CLL lymphocytes typically show B-cell surfaceantigens, as demonstrated by CD19, CD20, CD21, and CD23 monoclonalantibodies. In addition, they express CD5, which is more typically foundon T cells. Because normal CD5⁺ B cells are present in the mantle zone(MZ) of lymphoid follicles, B-CLL is most likely a malignancy of anMZ-based subpopulation of anergic self-reactive cells devoted to theproduction of polyreactive natural autoantibodies. B-CLL cells expressextremely low levels of surface membrane immunoglobulin, most oftenimmunoglobulin M (IgM) or IgM/IgD and IgD. Additionally, they alsoexpress extremely low levels of a single immunoglobulin light chain(kappa or lambda).

Genetic analysis—An abnormal karyotype is observed in the majority ofpatients with CLL. The most common abnormality is deletion of 13q, whichoccurs in more than 50% of patients. Individuals showing 13q14abnormalities have a relatively benign disease that usually manifests asstable or slowly progressive isolated lymphocytosis.

The presence of trisomy 12, which is observed in 15% of patients, isassociated with atypical morphology and progressive disease. Deletion inthe short arm of chromosome 17 has been associated with rapidprogression, short remission, and decreased overall survival in CLL.17p13 deletions are associated with loss of function of the tumorsuppressor gene p53. Deletions of bands 11q22-q23, observed in 19% ofpatients, are associated with extensive lymph node involvement,aggressive disease, and shorter survival.

More sensitive techniques have demonstrated abnormalities of chromosome12. Forty to 50% of patients demonstrate no chromosomal abnormalities onconventional cytogenetic studies. However, 80% of patients will haveabnormalities detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).Approximately 2-5% of patients with B-CLL exhibit a T-cell phenotype.

Investigations have also identified a number of high-risk geneticfeatures and markers that include germline immunoglobulin variable heavychain (IgVH), IgVH V3-21 gene usage, increased CD38 expression,increased Zap70 expression, elevated serum beta-2-microglobulin levels,increased serum thymidine kinase activity, short lymphocyte doublingtime (<6 mo), and increased serum levels of soluble CD23. These featureshave been associated with rapid progression, short remission, resistanceto treatment, and shortened overall survival in patients with B-CLL.

Germline mutations—Germline IgVH has been shown to indicate a poorprognosis. Studies have shown that these patients also have earlierprogression of B-CLL after treatment with chemotherapy. The use ofcertain IgV H genes, V3-21, have also been associated with poorprognosis regardless of IgV H mutational status.

The present inventors have also identified CD84 as an important survivalfactor on B-CLL and as such as a target for therapeutic intervention.

Thus, according to another aspect of the invention there is provided ause of an agent which decreases activity or expression of CD84 in themanufacture of a medicament for treating B-CLL.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a useof an agent which decreases activity or expression of CD84 for treatingB-CLL.

According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided amethod of inducing apoptosis in B cells of a subject having B-CLL, themethod comprising administering to the subject a therapeuticallyeffective amount of an agent which decreases activity or expression ofCD84, thereby inducing apoptosis in B cells of the subject.

According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided amethod of treating B-CLL in a subject in need thereof, the methodcomprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effectiveamount of an agent which decreases activity or expression of CD84,thereby treating B-CLL.

According to a therapeutic aspect of the invention the subject isdiagnosed with B-CLL.

CD84 refers to an expressed isoform of the CD84 gene. Examples includebut are not limited to Q9UIB8-1, Q9UIB8-2, Q9UIB8-3, Q9UIB8-4, Q9UIB8-5,Q9UIB8-6 and Q9UIB8-7. According to a specific embodiment of this aspectof the present invention down regulation of CD84 relates to all CD84isoforms. To this end, agents which recognize all the isoforms of CD84(i.e., pan CD84) are preferably used.

Thus, downregulation of CD84 can be effected on the genomic and/or thetranscript level using a variety of molecules which interfere withtranscription and/or translation (e.g., antisense, siRNA, Ribozyme,DNAzyme), or on the protein level using e.g., antagonists, enzymes thatcleave the polypeptide and the like.

Following is a list of agents capable of downregulating expression leveland/or activity of CD84.

One example, of an agent capable of downregulating a CD84 aCDR-containing polypeptide sucg as an antibody or antibody fragmentcapable of specifically binding CD84. Preferably, the antibodyspecifically binds at least one epitope of an extracellular portion ofCD84 and neutralizes/blocks it's activity such as by interfering withits homophilic interactions.

Such a CDR-containing polypeptide (e.g., antibody) can be produced fromthe hyridoma that has been deposited at the CNCN Pateur Institut on Sep.23, 2009 under the deposit number CNCM 1-4228 (F8).

As used herein, the term “epitope” refers to any antigenic determinanton an antigen to which the paratope of an antibody binds.

Epitopic determinants usually consist of chemically active surfacegroupings of molecules such as amino acids or carbohydrate side chainsand usually have specific three dimensional structural characteristics,as well as specific charge characteristics.

The term “antibody” as used in this invention includes intact moleculesas well as functional fragments thereof, such as Fab, F(ab′)2, and Fvthat are capable of binding to macrophages. These functional antibodyfragments are defined as follows: (1) Fab, the fragment which contains amonovalent antigen-binding fragment of an antibody molecule, can beproduced by digestion of whole antibody with the enzyme papain to yieldan intact light chain and a portion of one heavy chain; (2) Fab′, thefragment of an antibody molecule that can be obtained by treating wholeantibody with pepsin, followed by reduction, to yield an intact lightchain and a portion of the heavy chain; two Fab′ fragments are obtainedper antibody molecule; (3) (Fab′)2, the fragment of the antibody thatcan be obtained by treating whole antibody with the enzyme pepsinwithout subsequent reduction; F(ab′)2 is a dimer of two Fab′ fragmentsheld together by two disulfide bonds; (4) Fv, defined as a geneticallyengineered fragment containing the variable region of the light chainand the variable region of the heavy chain expressed as two chains; and(5) Single chain antibody (“SCA”), a genetically engineered moleculecontaining the variable region of the light chain and the variableregion of the heavy chain, linked by a suitable polypeptide linker as agenetically fused single chain molecule.

Methods of producing polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies as well asfragments thereof are well known in the art (See for example, Harlow andLane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,New York, 1988, incorporated herein by reference).

Antibody fragments according to the present invention can be prepared byproteolytic hydrolysis of the antibody or by expression in E. coli ormammalian cells (e.g. Chinese hamster ovary cell culture or otherprotein expression systems) of DNA encoding the fragment. Antibodyfragments can be obtained by pepsin or papain digestion of wholeantibodies by conventional methods. For example, antibody fragments canbe produced by enzymatic cleavage of antibodies with pepsin to provide a5S fragment denoted F(ab′)2. This fragment can be further cleaved usinga thiol reducing agent, and optionally a blocking group for thesulfhydryl groups resulting from cleavage of disulfide linkages, toproduce 3.5S Fab′ monovalent fragments. Alternatively, an enzymaticcleavage using pepsin produces two monovalent Fab′ fragments and an Fcfragment directly. These methods are described, for example, byGoldenberg, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,036,945 and 4,331,647, and referencescontained therein, which patents are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety. See also Porter, R. R. [Biochem. J. 73: 119-126 (1959)].Other methods of cleaving antibodies, such as separation of heavy chainsto form monovalent light-heavy chain fragments, further cleavage offragments, or other enzymatic, chemical, or genetic techniques may alsobe used, so long as the fragments bind to the antigen that is recognizedby the intact antibody.

Fv fragments comprise an association of VH and VL chains. Thisassociation may be noncovalent, as described in Inbar et al. [Proc.Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 69:2659-62 (19720]. Alternatively, the variablechains can be linked by an intermolecular disulfide bond or cross-linkedby chemicals such as glutaraldehyde. Preferably, the Fv fragmentscomprise VH and VL chains connected by a peptide linker. Thesesingle-chain antigen binding proteins (sFv) are prepared by constructinga structural gene comprising DNA sequences encoding the VH and VLdomains connected by an oligonucleotide. The structural gene is insertedinto an expression vector, which is subsequently introduced into a hostcell such as E. coli. The recombinant host cells synthesize a singlepolypeptide chain with a linker peptide bridging the two V domains.Methods for producing sFvs are described, for example, by [Whitlow andFilpula, Methods 2: 97-105 (1991); Bird et al., Science 242:423-426(1988); Pack et al., Bio/Technology 11:1271-77 (1993); and U.S. Pat. No.4,946,778, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Another form of an antibody fragment is a peptide coding for a singlecomplementarity-determining region (CDR). CDR peptides (“minimalrecognition units”) can be obtained by constructing genes encoding theCDR of an antibody of interest. Such genes are prepared, for example, byusing the polymerase chain reaction to synthesize the variable regionfrom RNA of antibody-producing cells. See, for example, Larrick and Fry[Methods, 2: 106-10 (1991)].

Humanized forms of non-human (e.g., murine) antibodies are chimericmolecules of immunoglobulins, immunoglobulin chains or fragments thereof(such as Fv, Fab, Fab′, F(ab′).sub.2 or other antigen-bindingsubsequences of antibodies) which contain minimal sequence derived fromnon-human immunoglobulin. Humanized antibodies include humanimmunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in which residues form acomplementary determining region (CDR) of the recipient are replaced byresidues from a CDR of a non-human species (donor antibody) such asmouse, rat or rabbit having the desired specificity, affinity andcapacity. In some instances, Fv framework residues of the humanimmunoglobulin are replaced by corresponding non-human residues.Humanized antibodies may also comprise residues which are found neitherin the recipient antibody nor in the imported CDR or frameworksequences. In general, the humanized antibody will comprisesubstantially all of at least one, and typically two, variable domains,in which all or substantially all of the CDR regions correspond to thoseof a non-human immunoglobulin and all or substantially all of the FRregions are those of a human immunoglobulin consensus sequence. Thehumanized antibody optimally also will comprise at least a portion of animmunoglobulin constant region (Fc), typically that of a humanimmunoglobulin Pones et al., Nature, 321:522-525 (1986); Riechmann etal., Nature, 332:323-329 (1988); and Presta, Curr. Op. Struct. Biol.,2:593-596 (1992)].

Methods for humanizing non-human antibodies are well known in the art.Generally, a humanized antibody has one or more amino acid residuesintroduced into it from a source which is non-human. These non-humanamino acid residues are often referred to as import residues, which aretypically taken from an import variable domain. Humanization can beessentially performed following the method of Winter and co-workersPones et al., Nature, 321:522-525 (1986); Riechmann et al., Nature332:323-327 (1988); Verhoeyen et al., Science, 239:1534-1536 (1988)], bysubstituting rodent CDRs or CDR sequences for the correspondingsequences of a human antibody. Accordingly, such humanized antibodiesare chimeric antibodies (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567), wherein substantiallyless than an intact human variable domain has been substituted by thecorresponding sequence from a non-human species. In practice, humanizedantibodies are typically human antibodies in which some CDR residues andpossibly some FR residues are substituted by residues from analogoussites in rodent antibodies.

Human antibodies can also be produced using various techniques known inthe art, including phage display libraries [Hoogenboom and Winter, J.Mol. Biol., 227:381 (1991); Marks et al., J. Mol. Biol., 222:581(1991)]. The techniques of Cole et al. and Boerner et al. are alsoavailable for the preparation of human monoclonal antibodies (Cole etal., Monoclonal Antibodies and Cancer Therapy, Alan R. Liss, p. 77(1985) and Boerner et al., J. Immunol., 147(1):86-95 (1991)]. Similarly,human antibodies can be made by introduction of human immunoglobulinloci into transgenic animals, e.g., mice in which the endogenousimmunoglobulin genes have been partially or completely inactivated. Uponchallenge, human antibody production is observed, which closelyresembles that seen in humans in all respects, including generearrangement, assembly, and antibody repertoire. This approach isdescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,807; 5,545,806;5,569,825; 5,625,126; 5,633,425; 5,661,016, and in the followingscientific publications: Marks et al., Bio/Technology 10: 779-783(1992); Lonberg et al., Nature 368: 856-859 (1994); Morrison, Nature 368812-13 (1994); Fishwild et al., Nature Biotechnology 14, 845-51 (1996);Neuberger, Nature Biotechnology 14: 826 (1996); and Lonberg and Huszar,Intern. Rev. Immunol. 13, 65-93 (1995).

Another molecule which can be used to downregulate CD84 activity is anon-functional form of CD84 which binds CD84 but inhibits it's signalingactivity such as by inhibiting it's homophilic interactions.

Thus, the present teachings further provide for an isolated polypeptidewhich comprises an amino acid sequence of a soluble CD84 (i.e.,non-membrane bound), wherein the soluble CD84 binds CD84 expressed on Bcells (e.g., with a binding affinity of at least 10⁻⁵ nM) and inhibitsits homophilic interactions.

Due to it's inherent affinity towards the extracellular portion of CD84,the soluble CD84 agent described herein can be also utilized in theabove-described diagnostic aspects, such as by conjugating to same anidentifiable moiety (e.g., fluorescent protein, alkaline phosphatase,myc/his tag, beta galactosidase and the like).

According to a specific embodiment, the soluble CD84 comprises anextracellullar domain of CD84 and is devoid of a transmembrane domain ofCD84.

According to a specific embodiment, the soluble CD84 is fused to amoiety for increasing solubility of the soluble CD84.

According to a specific embodiment, the moiety for increasing solubilityof the soluble CD84 is a heterologous amino acid sequence or a chemicalmoiety such as PEG and the like.

As used herein the phrase “heterologous amino acid sequence” refers toan amino acid sequence which does not endogenously form a part of theCD84 amino acid sequence. Preferably, the heterologous amino acidsequence does not down-regulate the biological activity (e.g. apoptotic)of the soluble CD84 polypeptide.

The heterologous amino acid sequence may thus serve to ensure stabilityof the soluble CD84 of the present invention without compromising itsactivity. For example, the heterologous polypeptide may increase thehalf-life of the soluble CD84 molecule in the serum. Examples ofheterologous amino acid sequences that may be used in accordance withthe teachings of the present invention include, but are not limited to,immunoglobulin, galactosidase, glucuronidase, glutathione-S-transferase(GST), carboxy terminal peptide (CTP) from chorionic gonadotrophin (CG□)and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) [see for example Suzuki etal., supra; and U.S. Publication No. 20030171551].

The exact site at which fusion (conjugation) between the moiety forincreasing solubility and the CD84 amino acid sequence is not critical.Generally the moiety for increasing solubility is localized at theamino- or carboxyl-terminus (n-ter or c-ter, respectively) of the CD84polypeptide of the present invention. Particular sites are well known inthe art and may be selected in order to optimize the biologicalactivity, secretion or binding characteristics of the chimeric moleculesof this aspect of the present invention.

The heterologous amino acid sequence may be attached to the CD84 aminoacid sequence by any of peptide or non-peptide bond. Attachment of theCD84 amino acid sequence to the heterologous amino acid sequence may beeffected by direct covalent bonding (peptide bond or a substitutedpeptide bond) or indirect binding such as by the use of a linker havingfunctional groups. Functional groups include, without limitation, a freecarboxylic acid (C(═O)OH), a free amino group (NH₂), an ester group(C(═O)OR, where R is alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl), an acyl halide group(C(═O)A, where A is fluoride, chloride, bromide or iodide), a halide(fluoride, chloride, bromide or iodide), a hydroxyl group (OH), a thiolgroup (SH), a nitrile group (C≡N), a free C-carbamic group(NR″—C(═O)—OR′, where each of R′ and R″ is independently hydrogen,alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl).

An example of a heterologous amino acid sequence which may be used inaccordance with this aspect of the present invention is animmunoglobulin amino acid sequence, such as the hinge and Fc regions ofan immunoglobulin heavy domain (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,196). Theimmunoglobulin moiety in the chimeras of this aspect of the presentinvention may be obtained from IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4 subtypes, IgA,IgE, IgD or IgM, as further discussed hereinbelow. Chimeras constructedfrom a receptor sequence linked to an appropriate immunoglobulinconstant domain sequence (immunoadhesins) are known in the artImmunoadhesins reported in the literature include fusions of the T cellreceptor [Gascoigne et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 84: 2936-2940(1987)]; CD4 [Capon et al., Nature 337: 525-531(1989); Traunecker etal., Nature, 339: 68-70 (1989); Zettmeissl et al., DNA Cell Biol. USA,9: 347-353 (1990); Byrn et al., Nature, 344: 667-670 (1990)]; L-selectin(homing receptor) [(Watson et al., J. Cell. Biol., 110:2221-2229 (1990);Watson et al., Nature, 349: 164-167 (1991)]; CD44 [Aruffo et al., Cell,61: 1303-1313 (1990)]; CD28 and B7 (Linsley et al., J. Exp. Med., 173:721-730(1990]; CTLA-4 [Lisley et al., J. Exp. Med. 174: 561-569 (1991)];CD22 [Stamenkovic et al., Cell, 66:1133-1144 (1991)]; TNF receptor[Ashkenazi et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88: 10535-10539 (1991);Lesslauer et al., Eur. J. Immunol., 27: 2883-2886 (1991); Peppel et al.,J. Exp. Med., 174:1483-1489 (1991)]; NP receptors [Bennett et al., J.Biol. Chem. 266:23060-23067 (1991)]; and IgE receptor a [Ridgway et al.,J. Cell. Biol., 1 15: abstr. 1448 (1991)].

Typically, in such fusions the chimeric molecule will retain at leastfunctionally active hinge and CH2 and CH3 domains of the constant regionof an immunoglobulin heavy chain. Fusions can also be generated to theC-terminus of the Fc portion of a constant domain, or immediatelyN-terminal to the CH1 of the heavy chain or the corresponding region ofthe light chain.

According to a presently exemplified embodiment, the soluble CD84 is asset forth in SEQ ID NO: 2.

The present invention further provides for an isolated (from the naturalenvironment) polynucleotide which comprises a nucleic acid sequenceencoding a soluble CD84 as described above.

In order to express the polynucleotide it is preferably ligated into anucleic acid expression construct under the control of a cis-regulatoryelement e.g., promoter.

Constitutive promoters suitable for use with the present invention arepromoter sequences which are active under most environmental conditionsand most types of cells such as the cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Roussarcoma virus (RSV). Inducible promoters suitable for use with thepresent invention include for example the tetracycline-induciblepromoter (Zabala M, et al., Cancer Res. 2004, 64(8): 2799-804).

The nucleic acid construct (also referred to herein as an “expressionvector”) of the present invention includes additional sequences whichrender this vector suitable for replication and integration inprokaryotes, eukaryotes, or preferably both (e.g., shuttle vectors). Inaddition, a typical cloning vectors may also contain a transcription andtranslation initiation sequence, transcription and translationterminator and a polyadenylation signal. By way of example, suchconstructs will typically include a 5′ LTR, a tRNA binding site, apackaging signal, an origin of second-strand DNA synthesis, and a 3′ LTRor a portion thereof.

The nucleic acid construct of the present invention typically includes asignal sequence for secretion of the peptide from a host cell in whichit is placed. Preferably the signal sequence for this purpose is amammalian signal sequence or the signal sequence of the polypeptidevariants of the present invention.

Eukaryotic promoters typically contain two types of recognitionsequences, the TATA box and upstream promoter elements. The TATA box,located 25-30 base pairs upstream of the transcription initiation site,is thought to be involved in directing RNA polymerase to begin RNAsynthesis. The other upstream promoter elements determine the rate atwhich transcription is initiated.

Preferably, the promoter utilized by the nucleic acid construct of thepresent invention is active in the specific cell population transformed.Examples of cell type-specific and/or tissue-specific promoters includepromoters such as albumin that is liver specific [Pinkert et al., (1987)Genes Dev. 1:268-277], lymphoid specific promoters [Calame et al.,(1988) Adv. Immunol. 43:235-275]; in particular promoters of T-cellreceptors [Winoto et al., (1989) EMBO J. 8:729-733] and immunoglobulins;[Banerji et al. (1983) Cell 33729-740], neuron-specific promoters suchas the neurofilament promoter [Byrne et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 86:5473-5477], pancreas-specific promoters [Edlunch et al.(1985) Science 230:912-916] or mammary gland-specific promoters such asthe milk whey promoter (U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,316 and European ApplicationPublication No. 264,166).

Enhancer elements can stimulate transcription up to 1,000 fold fromlinked homologous or heterologous promoters Enhancers are active whenplaced downstream or upstream from the transcription initiation site.Many enhancer elements derived from viruses have a broad host range andare active in a variety of tissues. For example, the SV40 early geneenhancer is suitable for many cell types. Other enhancer/promotercombinations that are suitable for the present invention include thosederived from polyoma virus, human or murine cytomegalovirus (CMV), thelong term repeat from various retroviruses such as murine leukemiavirus, murine or Rous sarcoma virus and HIV. See, Enhancers andEukaryotic Expression, Cold Spring Harbor Press, Cold Spring Harbor,N.Y. 1983, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In the construction of the expression vector, the promoter is preferablypositioned approximately the same distance from the heterologoustranscription start site as it is from the transcription start site inits natural setting. As is known in the art, however, some variation inthis distance can be accommodated without loss of promoter function.

Polyadenylation sequences can also be added to the expression vector inorder to increase the efficiency of CD84 mRNA translation. Two distinctsequence elements are required for accurate and efficientpolyadenylation: GU or U rich sequences located downstream from thepolyadenylation site and a highly conserved sequence of six nucleotides,AAUAAA, located 11-30 nucleotides upstream. Termination andpolyadenylation signals that are suitable for the present inventioninclude those derived from SV40.

In addition to the elements already described, the expression vector ofthe present invention may typically contain other specialized elementsintended to increase the level of expression of cloned nucleic acids orto facilitate the identification of cells that carry the recombinantDNA. For example, a number of animal viruses contain DNA sequences thatpromote the extra chromosomal replication of the viral genome inpermissive cell types. Plasmids bearing these viral replicons arereplicated episomally as long as the appropriate factors are provided bygenes either carried on the plasmid or with the genome of the host cell.

The vector may or may not include a eukaryotic replicon. If a eukaryoticreplicon is present, then the vector is amplifiable in eukaryotic cellsusing the appropriate selectable marker. If the vector does not comprisea eukaryotic replicon, no episomal amplification is possible. Instead,the recombinant DNA integrates into the genome of the engineered cell,where the promoter directs expression of the desired nucleic acid.

The expression vector of the present invention can further includeadditional polynucleotide sequences that allow, for example, thetranslation of several proteins from a single mRNA such as an internalribosome entry site (IRES) and sequences for genomic integration of thepromoter-chimeric polypeptide.

Examples for mammalian expression vectors include, but are not limitedto, pcDNA3, pcDNA3.1(+/−), pGL3, pZeoSV2(+/−), pSecTag2, pDisplay,pEF/myc/cyto, pCMV/myc/cyto, pCR3.1, pSinRep5, DH26S, DHBB, pNMT1,pNMT41, pNMT81, which are available from Invitrogen, pCI which isavailable from Promega, pMbac, pPbac, pBK-RSV and pBK-CMV which areavailable from Strategene, pTRES which is available from Clontech, andtheir derivatives.

Expression vectors containing regulatory elements from eukaryoticviruses such as retroviruses can be also used. SV40 vectors includepSVT7 and pMT2. Vectors derived from bovine papilloma virus includepBV-1MTHA, and vectors derived from Epstein Bar virus include pHEBO, andp2O5. Other exemplary vectors include pMSG, pAV009/A⁺, pMT010/A⁺,pMAMneo-5, baculovirus pDSVE, and any other vector allowing expressionof proteins under the direction of the SV-40 early promoter, SV-40 laterpromoter, metallothionein promoter, murine mammary tumor virus promoter,Rous sarcoma virus promoter, polyhedrin promoter, or other promotersshown effective for expression in eukaryotic cells.

Another agent capable of downregulating a CD84 is a small interferingRNA (siRNA) molecule. RNA interference is a two step process. The firststep, which is termed as the initiation step, input dsRNA is digestedinto 21-23 nucleotide (nt) small interfering RNAs (siRNA), probably bythe action of Dicer, a member of the RNase III family of dsRNA-specificribonucleases, which processes (cleaves) dsRNA (introduced directly orvia a transgene or a virus) in an ATP-dependent manner Successivecleavage events degrade the RNA to 19-21 bp duplexes (siRNA), each with2-nucleotide 3′ overhangs [Hutvagner and Zamore Curr. Opin. Genetics andDevelopment 12:225-232 (2002); and Bernstein Nature 409:363-366 (2001)].

In the effector step, the siRNA duplexes bind to a nuclease complex tofrom the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). An ATP-dependentunwinding of the siRNA duplex is required for activation of the RISC.The active RISC then targets the homologous transcript by base pairinginteractions and cleaves the mRNA into 12 nucleotide fragments from the3′ terminus of the siRNA [Hutvagner and Zamore Curr. Opin. Genetics andDevelopment 12:225-232 (2002); Hammond et al. (2001) Nat. Rev. Gen.2:110-119 (2001); and Sharp Genes. Dev. 15:485-90 (2001)]. Although themechanism of cleavage is still to be elucidated, research indicates thateach RISC contains a single siRNA and an RNase [Hutvagner and ZamoreCurr. Opin. Genetics and Development 12:225-232 (2002)].

Because of the remarkable potency of RNAi, an amplification step withinthe RNAi pathway has been suggested. Amplification could occur bycopying of the input dsRNAs which would generate more siRNAs, or byreplication of the siRNAs formed. Alternatively or additionally,amplification could be effected by multiple turnover events of the RISC[Hammond et al. Nat. Rev. Gen. 2:110-119 (2001), Sharp Genes. Dev.15:485-90 (2001); Hutvagner and Zamore Curr. Opin. Genetics andDevelopment 12:225-232 (2002)]. For more information on RNAi see thefollowing reviews Tuschl ChemBiochem. 2:239-245 (2001); Cullen Nat.Immunol. 3:597-599 (2002); and Brantl Biochem. Biophys. Act. 1575:15-25(2002).

Synthesis of RNAi molecules suitable for use with the present inventioncan be effected as follows. First, the CD84 mRNA sequence is scanneddownstream of the AUG start codon for AA dinucleotide sequences.Occurrence of each AA and the 3′ adjacent 19 nucleotides is recorded aspotential siRNA target sites. Preferably, siRNA target sites areselected from the open reading frame, as untranslated regions (UTRs) arericher in regulatory protein binding sites. UTR-binding proteins and/ortranslation initiation complexes may interfere with binding of the siRNAendonuclease complex [Tuschl ChemBiochem. 2:239-245]. It will beappreciated though, that siRNAs directed at untranslated regions mayalso be effective, as demonstrated for GAPDH wherein siRNA directed atthe 5′ UTR mediated about 90% decrease in cellular GAPDH mRNA andcompletely abolished protein level(www(dot)ambion(dot)com/techlib/tn/91/912(dot)html).

Second, potential target sites are compared to an appropriate genomicdatabase (e.g., human, mouse, rat etc.) using any sequence alignmentsoftware, such as the BLAST software available from the NCBI server(www(dot)ncbi(dot)nlm(dot)nih(dot)gov/BLAST/). Putative target siteswhich exhibit significant homology to other coding sequences arefiltered out.

Qualifying target sequences are selected as template for siRNAsynthesis. Preferred sequences are those including low G/C content asthese have proven to be more effective in mediating gene silencing ascompared to those with G/C content higher than 55%. Several target sitesare preferably selected along the length of the target gene forevaluation. For better evaluation of the selected siRNAs, a negativecontrol is preferably used in conjunction. Negative control siRNApreferably include the same nucleotide composition as the siRNAs butlack significant homology to the genome. Thus, a scrambled nucleotidesequence of the siRNA is preferably used, provided it does not displayany significant homology to any other gene.

Another agent capable of downregulating a CD84 is a DNAzyme moleculecapable of specifically cleaving an mRNA transcript or DNA sequence ofthe CD84. DNAzymes are single-stranded polynucleotides which are capableof cleaving both single and double stranded target sequences (Breaker,R. R. and Joyce, G. Chemistry and Biology 1995; 2:655; Santoro, S. W. &Joyce, G. F. Proc. Natl, Acad. Sci. USA 1997; 943:4262) A general model(the “10-23” model) for the DNAzyme has been proposed. “10-23” DNAzymeshave a catalytic domain of 15 deoxyribonucleotides, flanked by twosubstrate-recognition domains of seven to nine deoxyribonucleotideseach. This type of DNAzyme can effectively cleave its substrate RNA atpurine: pyrimidine junctions (Santoro, S. W. & Joyce, G. F. Proc. Natl,Acad. Sci. USA 199; for rev of DNAzymes see Khachigian, L M [Curr OpinMol Ther 4:119-21 (2002)].

Examples of construction and amplification of synthetic, engineeredDNAzymes recognizing single and double-stranded target cleavage siteshave been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,174 to Joyce et al. DNAzymesof similar design directed against the human Urokinase receptor wererecently observed to inhibit Urokinase receptor expression, andsuccessfully inhibit colon cancer cell metastasis in vivo (Itoh et al,20002, Abstract 409, Ann Meeting Am Soc Gen Ther www(dot)asgt(dot)org).In another application, DNAzymes complementary to bcr-ab1 oncogenes weresuccessful in inhibiting the oncogenes expression in leukemia cells, andlessening relapse rates in autologous bone marrow transplant in cases ofCML and ALL.

Downregulation of a CD84 can also be effected by using an antisensepolynucleotide capable of specifically hybridizing with an mRNAtranscript encoding the CD84.

Design of antisense molecules which can be used to efficientlydownregulate a CD84 must be effected while considering two aspectsimportant to the antisense approach. The first aspect is delivery of theoligonucleotide into the cytoplasm of the appropriate cells, while thesecond aspect is design of an oligonucleotide which specifically bindsthe designated mRNA within cells in a way which inhibits translationthereof.

The prior art teaches of a number of delivery strategies which can beused to efficiently deliver oligonucleotides into a wide variety of celltypes [see, for example, Luft J Mol Med 76: 75-6 (1998); Kronenwett etal. Blood 91: 852-62 (1998); Rajur et al. Bioconjug Chem 8: 935-40(1997); Lavigne et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 237: 566-71 (1997) andAoki et al. (1997) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 231: 540-5 (1997)].

In addition, algorithms for identifying those sequences with the highestpredicted binding affinity for their target mRNA based on athermodynamic cycle that accounts for the energetics of structuralalterations in both the target mRNA and the oligonucleotide are alsoavailable [see, for example, Walton et al. Biotechnol Bioeng 65: 1-9(1999)].

Such algorithms have been successfully used to implement an antisenseapproach in cells. For example, the algorithm developed by Walton et al.enabled scientists to successfully design antisense oligonucleotides forrabbit beta-globin (RBG) and mouse tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) transcripts. The same research group has more recently reportedthat the antisense activity of rationally selected oligonucleotidesagainst three model target mRNAs (human lactate dehydrogenase A and Band rat gp130) in cell culture as evaluated by a kinetic PCR techniqueproved effective in almost all cases, including tests against threedifferent targets in two cell types with phosphodiester andphosphorothioate oligonucleotide chemistries.

In addition, several approaches for designing and predicting efficiencyof specific oligonucleotides using an in vitro system were alsopublished (Matveeva et al., Nature Biotechnology 16: 1374-1375 (1998)].

Another agent capable of downregulating a CD84 is a ribozyme moleculecapable of specifically cleaving an mRNA transcript encoding a CD84.Ribozymes are being increasingly used for the sequence-specificinhibition of gene expression by the cleavage of mRNAs encoding proteinsof interest [Welch et al., Curr Opin Biotechnol. 9:486-96 (1998)]. Thepossibility of designing ribozymes to cleave any specific target RNA hasrendered them valuable tools in both basic research and therapeuticapplications. In the therapeutics area, ribozymes have been exploited totarget viral RNAs in infectious diseases, dominant oncogenes in cancersand specific somatic mutations in genetic disorders [Welch et al., ClinDiagn Virol. 10:163-71 (1998)]. Most notably, several ribozyme genetherapy protocols for HIV patients are already in Phase 1 trials. Morerecently, ribozymes have been used for transgenic animal research, genetarget validation and pathway elucidation. Several ribozymes are invarious stages of clinical trials. ANGIOZYME was the first chemicallysynthesized ribozyme to be studied in human clinical trials. ANGIOZYMEspecifically inhibits formation of the VEGF-r (Vascular EndothelialGrowth Factor receptor), a key component in the angiogenesis pathway.Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as well as other firms have demonstratedthe importance of anti-angiogenesis therapeutics in animal models.HEPTAZYME, a ribozyme designed to selectively destroy Hepatitis C Virus(HCV) RNA, was found effective in decreasing Hepatitis C viral RNA incell culture assays (Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated—WEB homepage).

The agents of the present invention can be administered to the subjectper se, or in a pharmaceutical composition where it is mixed withsuitable carriers or excipients.

As used herein a “pharmaceutical composition” refers to a preparation ofone or more of the active ingredients described herein with otherchemical components such as physiologically suitable carriers andexcipients. The purpose of a pharmaceutical composition is to facilitateadministration of a compound to an organism.

Herein the term “active ingredient” refers to the agent accountable forthe biological effect (i.e., down regulation in CD84 activity orexpression).

Hereinafter, the phrases “physiologically acceptable carrier” and“pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” which may be interchangeably usedrefer to a carrier or a diluent that does not cause significantirritation to an organism and does not abrogate the biological activityand properties of the administered compound. An adjuvant is includedunder these phrases.

Herein the term “excipient” refers to an inert substance added to apharmaceutical composition to further facilitate administration of anactive ingredient. Examples, without limitation, of excipients includecalcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various sugars and types ofstarch, cellulose derivatives, gelatin, vegetable oils and polyethyleneglycols.

Techniques for formulation and administration of drugs may be found in“Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences,” Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa.,latest edition, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Suitable routes of administration may, for example, include oral,rectal, transmucosal, especially transnasal, intestinal or parenteraldelivery, including intramuscular, subcutaneous and intramedullaryinjections as well as intrathecal, direct intraventricular,intracardiac, e.g., into the right or left ventricular cavity, into thecommon coronary artery, intravenous, intraperiotoneal, intranasal, orintraocular injections.

Alternately, one may administer the pharmaceutical composition in alocal rather than systemic manner, for example, via injection of thepharmaceutical composition directly into a tissue region of a patient.

The term “tissue” refers to part of an organism consisting of anaggregate of cells having a similar structure and/or a common function.Examples include, but are not limited to, brain tissue, retina, skintissue, hepatic tissue, pancreatic tissue, bone, cartilage, connectivetissue, blood tissue, muscle tissue, cardiac tissue brain tissue,vascular tissue, renal tissue, pulmonary tissue, gonadal tissue,hematopoietic tissue.

Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be manufacturedby processes well known in the art, e.g., by means of conventionalmixing, dissolving, granulating, dragee-making, levigating, emulsifying,encapsulating, entrapping or lyophilizing processes.

Pharmaceutical compositions for use in accordance with the presentinvention thus may be formulated in conventional manner using one ormore physiologically acceptable carriers comprising excipients andauxiliaries, which facilitate processing of the active ingredients intopreparations which, can be used pharmaceutically. Proper formulation isdependent upon the route of administration chosen.

For injection, the active ingredients of the pharmaceutical compositionmay be formulated in aqueous solutions, preferably in physiologicallycompatible buffers such as Hank's solution, Ringer's solution, orphysiological salt buffer. For transmucosal administration, penetrantsappropriate to the barrier to be permeated are used in the formulation.Such penetrants are generally known in the art.

For oral administration, the pharmaceutical composition can beformulated readily by combining the active compounds withpharmaceutically acceptable carriers well known in the art. Suchcarriers enable the pharmaceutical composition to be formulated astablets, pills, dragees, capsules, liquids, gels, syrups, slurries,suspensions, and the like, for oral ingestion by a patient.Pharmacological preparations for oral use can be made using a solidexcipient, optionally grinding the resulting mixture, and processing themixture of granules, after adding suitable auxiliaries if desired, toobtain tablets or dragee cores. Suitable excipients are, in particular,fillers such as sugars, including lactose, sucrose, mannitol, orsorbitol; cellulose preparations such as, for example, maize starch,wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch, gelatin, gum tragacanth,methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl-cellulose, sodiumcarbomethylcellulose; and/or physiologically acceptable polymers such aspolyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). If desired, disintegrating agents may beadded, such as cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone, agar, or alginic acidor a salt thereof such as sodium alginate.

Dragee cores are provided with suitable coatings. For this purpose,concentrated sugar solutions may be used which may optionally containgum arabic, talc, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, carbopol gel, polyethyleneglycol, titanium dioxide, lacquer solutions and suitable organicsolvents or solvent mixtures. Dyestuffs or pigments may be added to thetablets or dragee coatings for identification or to characterizedifferent combinations of active compound doses.

Pharmaceutical compositions which can be used orally, include push-fitcapsules made of gelatin as well as soft, sealed capsules made ofgelatin and a plasticizer, such as glycerol or sorbitol. The push-fitcapsules may contain the active ingredients in admixture with fillersuch as lactose, binders such as starches, lubricants such as talc ormagnesium stearate and, optionally, stabilizers. In soft capsules, theactive ingredients may be dissolved or suspended in suitable liquids,such as fatty oils, liquid paraffin, or liquid polyethylene glycols. Inaddition, stabilizers may be added. All formulations for oraladministration should be in dosages suitable for the chosen route ofadministration.

For buccal administration, the compositions may take the form of tabletsor lozenges formulated in conventional manner.

For administration by nasal inhalation, the active ingredients for useaccording to the present invention are conveniently delivered in theform of an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized pack or anebulizer with the use of a suitable propellant, e.g.,dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane,dichloro-tetrafluoroethane or carbon dioxide. In the case of apressurized aerosol, the dosage unit may be determined by providing avalve to deliver a metered amount. Capsules and cartridges of, e.g.,gelatin for use in a dispenser may be formulated containing a powder mixof the compound and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch.

The pharmaceutical composition described herein may be formulated forparenteral administration, e.g., by bolus injection or continuosinfusion. Formulations for injection may be presented in unit dosageform, e.g., in ampoules or in multidose containers with optionally, anadded preservative. The compositions may be suspensions, solutions oremulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles, and may contain formulatoryagents such as suspending, stabilizing and/or dispersing agents.

Pharmaceutical compositions for parenteral administration includeaqueous solutions of the active preparation in water-soluble form.Additionally, suspensions of the active ingredients may be prepared asappropriate oily or water based injection suspensions. Suitablelipophilic solvents or vehicles include fatty oils such as sesame oil,or synthetic fatty acids esters such as ethyl oleate, triglycerides orliposomes. Aqueous injection suspensions may contain substances, whichincrease the viscosity of the suspension, such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sorbitol or dextran. Optionally, the suspension may alsocontain suitable stabilizers or agents which increase the solubility ofthe active ingredients to allow for the preparation of highlyconcentrated solutions.

Alternatively, the active ingredient may be in powder form forconstitution with a suitable vehicle, e.g., sterile, pyrogen-free waterbased solution, before use.

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may also beformulated in rectal compositions such as suppositories or retentionenemas, using, e.g., conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butteror other glycerides.

Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for use in context of the presentinvention include compositions wherein the active ingredients arecontained in an amount effective to achieve the intended purpose. Morespecifically, a therapeutically effective amount means an amount ofactive ingredients effective to prevent, alleviate or amelioratesymptoms of a disorder (e.g., B-CLL) or prolong the survival of thesubject being treated. In a specific embodiment, the therapeuticallyeffective amount is sufficient to induce B-CLL apoptosis.

Determination of a therapeutically effective amount is well within thecapability of those skilled in the art, especially in light of thedetailed disclosure provided herein.

For any preparation used in the methods of the invention, thetherapeutically effective amount or dose can be estimated initially fromin vitro and cell culture assays. For example, a dose can be formulatedin animal models to achieve a desired concentration or titer. Suchinformation can be used to more accurately determine useful doses inhumans.

Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of the active ingredients describedherein can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in vitro,in cell cultures or experimental animals.

A B-CLL animal model such as the NOD-SCID mouse chimera as describedpreviously [Shimoni A, Marcus H, Canaan A, et al. A model for humanB-chronic lymphocytic leukemia in human/mouse radiation chimera:evidence for tumor-mediated suppression of antibody production inlow-stage disease. Blood. 1997; 89:2210-2218], can be used to determinetherapeutic efficacy of the agents of the present invention in vivo.Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from B-CLL patients atdifferent stages of the disease are transferred by intraperitonealinjection. This system supports long term survival of the human tumorcells. Chimeric mice are treated with the agents of the presentinvention for different periods of time, and the effect on grafting ofthe cells and survival is then assessed.

The data obtained from these in vitro and cell culture assays and animalstudies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in human.The dosage may vary depending upon the dosage form employed and theroute of administration utilized. The exact formulation, route ofadministration and dosage can be chosen by the individual physician inview of the patient's condition. (See e.g., Fingl, et al., 1975, in “ThePharmacological Basis of Therapeutics”, Ch. 1 p. 1).

Dosage amount and interval may be adjusted individually to provide(tissue) levels of the active ingredient are sufficient to induce orsuppress the biological effect (minimal effective concentration, MEC).The MEC will vary for each preparation, but can be estimated from invitro data. Dosages necessary to achieve the MEC will depend onindividual characteristics and route of administration. Detection assayscan be used to determine plasma concentrations.

Depending on the severity and responsiveness of the condition to betreated, dosing can be of a single or a plurality of administrations,with course of treatment lasting from several days to several weeks oruntil cure is effected or diminution of the disease state is achieved.

The amount of a composition to be administered will, of course, bedependent on the subject being treated, the severity of the affliction,the manner of administration, the judgment of the prescribing physician,etc.

Compositions of the present invention may, if desired, be presented in apack or dispenser device, such as an FDA approved kit, which may containone or more unit dosage forms containing the active ingredient. The packmay, for example, comprise metal or plastic foil, such as a blisterpack. The pack or dispenser device may be accompanied by instructionsfor administration. The pack or dispenser may also be accommodated by anotice associated with the container in a form prescribed by agovernmental agency regulating the manufacture, use or sale ofpharmaceuticals, which notice is reflective of approval by the agency ofthe form of the compositions or human or veterinary administration. Suchnotice, for example, may be of labeling approved by the U.S. Food andDrug Administration for prescription drugs or of an approved productinsert. Compositions comprising a preparation of the inventionformulated in a compatible pharmaceutical carrier may also be prepared,placed in an appropriate container, and labeled for treatment of anindicated condition, as is further detailed above.

To improve therapeutic efficacy, agents of the present invention can befurther administered along with conventional therapy for B-CLL such aschemotherapy, radiotherapy, biological therapy e.g., immunotherapy orbone marrow transplantation.

Following is a non-limiting list of examples of conventional therapiesfor B-CLL.

Purine analogs—fludarabine or chlorambucil are generally used in thiscategory of treatments.

Monoclonal antibodies—Monoclonal antibodies such as alemtuzumab(directed against CD52) and rituximab (directed against CD20) aregenerally used in this category of treatments.

Combination chemotherapy—Combination chemotherapy options are typicallyused in newly-diagnosed and relapsed CLL. Recently, randomized trialshave shown that combinations of purine analogues (fludarabine) withalkylating agents (cyclophosphamide) produce higher response rates and alonger progression-free survival than single agents: e.g., FC(fludarabine with cyclophosphamide); FR (fludarabine with rituximab);FCR (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab) CHOP(cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone).

Allogeneic bone marrow (stem cell) transplantation—rarely used as afirst-line treatment for CLL due to its risk. There is increasinginterest in the use of reduced intensity allogeneic stem celltransplantation, which offers the prospect of cure for selected patientswith a suitable donor.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including”, “having”and their conjugates mean “including but not limited to”. This termencompasses the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”.

The phrase “consisting essentially of” means that the composition ormethod may include additional ingredients and/or steps, but only if theadditional ingredients and/or steps do not materially alter the basicand novel characteristics of the claimed composition or method.

As used herein, the singular form “a”, “an” and “the” include pluralreferences unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example,the term “a compound” or “at least one compound” may include a pluralityof compounds, including mixtures thereof.

Throughout this application, various embodiments of this invention maybe presented in a range format. It should be understood that thedescription in range format is merely for convenience and brevity andshould not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the description of a range should be consideredto have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well asindividual numerical values within that range. For example, descriptionof a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specificallydisclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numberswithin that range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This appliesregardless of the breadth of the range.

Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant to includeany cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the indicated range.The phrases “ranging/ranges between” a first indicate number and asecond indicate number and “ranging/ranges from” a first indicate number“to” a second indicate number are used herein interchangeably and aremeant to include the first and second indicated numbers and all thefractional and integral numerals therebetween.

As used herein the term “method” refers to manners, means, techniquesand procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limitedto, those manners, means, techniques and procedures either known to, orreadily developed from known manners, means, techniques and proceduresby practitioners of the chemical, pharmacological, biological,biochemical and medical arts.

As used herein, the term “treating” includes abrogating, substantiallyinhibiting, slowing or reversing the progression of a condition,substantially ameliorating clinical or aesthetical symptoms of acondition or substantially preventing the appearance of clinical oraesthetical symptoms of a condition.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance or illustration”. Any embodiment described as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otherembodiments and/or to exclude the incorporation of features from otherembodiments.

The word “optionally” is used herein to mean “is provided in someembodiments and not provided in other embodiments”. Any particularembodiment of the invention may include a plurality of “optional”features unless such features conflict.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, forclarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also beprovided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in thecontext of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or inany suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other describedembodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the contextof various embodiments are not to be considered essential features ofthose embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without thoseelements.

Various embodiments and aspects of the present invention as delineatedhereinabove and as claimed in the claims section below find experimentalsupport in the following examples.

EXAMPLES

Reference is now made to the following examples, which together with theabove descriptions, illustrate some embodiments of the invention in anon limiting fashion.

Generally, the nomenclature used herein and the laboratory proceduresutilized in the present invention include molecular, biochemical,microbiological and recombinant DNA techniques. Such techniques arethoroughly explained in the literature. See, for example, “MolecularCloning: A laboratory Manual” Sambrook et al., (1989); “CurrentProtocols in Molecular Biology” Volumes I-III Ausubel, R. M., ed.(1994); Ausubel et al., “Current Protocols in Molecular Biology”, JohnWiley and Sons, Baltimore, Md. (1989); Perbal, “A Practical Guide toMolecular Cloning”, John Wiley & Sons, New York (1988); Watson et al.,“Recombinant DNA”, Scientific American Books, New York; Birren et al.(eds) “Genome Analysis: A Laboratory Manual Series”, Vols. 1-4, ColdSpring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York (1998); methodologies as setforth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,666,828; 4,683,202; 4,801,531; 5,192,659 and5,272,057; “Cell Biology: A Laboratory Handbook”, Volumes I-III Cellis,J. E., ed. (1994); “Culture of Animal Cells—A Manual of Basic Technique”by Freshney, Wiley-Liss, N.Y. (1994), Third Edition; “Current Protocolsin Immunology” Volumes I-III Coligan J. E., ed. (1994); Stites et al.(eds), “Basic and Clinical Immunology” (8th Edition), Appleton & Lange,Norwalk, Conn. (1994); Mishell and Shiigi (eds), “Selected Methods inCellular Immunology”, W. H. Freeman and Co., New York (1980); availableimmunoassays are extensively described in the patent and scientificliterature, see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,791,932; 3,839,153;3,850,752; 3,850,578; 3,853,987; 3,867,517; 3,879,262; 3,901,654;3,935,074; 3,984,533; 3,996,345; 4,034,074; 4,098,876; 4,879,219;5,011,771 and 5,281,521; “Oligonucleotide Synthesis” Gait, M. J., ed.(1984); “Nucleic Acid Hybridization” Hames, B. D., and Higgins S. J.,eds. (1985); “Transcription and Translation” Hames, B. D., and HigginsS. J., eds. (1984); “Animal Cell Culture” Freshney, R. I., ed. (1986);“Immobilized Cells and Enzymes” IRL Press, (1986); “A Practical Guide toMolecular Cloning” Perbal, B., (1984) and “Methods in Enzymology” Vol.1-317, Academic Press; “PCR Protocols: A Guide To Methods AndApplications”, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. (1990); Marshak et al.,“Strategies for Protein Purification and Characterization—A LaboratoryCourse Manual” CSHL Press (1996); all of which are incorporated byreference as if fully set forth herein. Other general references areprovided throughout this document. The procedures therein are believedto be well known in the art and are provided for the convenience of thereader. All the information contained therein is incorporated herein byreference.

Materials and Experimental Procedures

Generation of CD84-ECD

For generating a DNA fragment encoding for the extracellular domain ofCD84 (CD84-ECD), the PCR was performed according to Tables 1 and 2. Theprimers contained overhangs with recognition sites for EcoR I and BamH Irestriction endonucleases.

TABLE 1 Formulation for preparative PCR ([50] μL) [2 pt] reactioncomponent amount 10 μl Pfu buffer [5] μL dNTP mix [10] mM 10 mM [1] μL5′ primer, 5′ BamH1CD84 [0.2] μL ([12] pmol) 3′ primer, 3′ EcoR1CD84[0.2] μL ([12] pmol) Pfu Polymerase [1] μL water [41.6] μL

TABLE 2 Cycling parameters for preparative PCR ([50] μL) [2 pt] step nr.temperature time period process 1. [95] C. [10] min initial denaturation2. [95] C.  [1] min melting 3. [51] C. [30] s annealing 4. [72] C. [70]s extension 5. [72] C.  [8] min final extension 6.  [8] C. Steps 2through 4 were repeated 39 times.

After purification of the CD84-ECD PCR product, the restriction enzymesEcoR I and BamH I were used to digest the pEF4 vector and the PCRproduct itself to yield complementary, cohesive ends. Therefore, thecomplete purified CD84-ECD PCR product ([30]μL) was put to reaction with20 units of EcoR I and BamH I ([1]μL each), [5]μL 10 μL buffer for EcoRI and water to make a final volume of [50]μL. The formulation wasincubated overnight at [37]° C. and then purified again. [3]μg of thepEF4-myc/His plasmid were digested analogously. Control reactions eachwith only one of the two enzymes were performed and analyzed by agarosegel electrophoresis. The digested and purified CD84-ECD insert and thedigested and purified pEF4-myc/His vector were ligated using a molarratio of 1:5 between vector and insert. The mixture was incubatedovernight at [15]° C. and directly used for transformation of DH5 alphabacteria. Positive transformants containing the CD84ECD were identifiedusing colony PCR, using the primers for the CD84ECD. CD84-ECD wassubcloned from pEF4-my/His into pET21a vector by restriction with EcoRIand BamHI. Positive coloning was confirmed by colony PCR.

Site Directed Mutagenesis

The Stratagene QuickChange Site-directed Mutagenesis Kit was used,following the manufacturer's instructions. The following tyrosinemutants were derived from the CD84-full construct:

1. Y262F 2. Y262F, Y299F 3. Y279F 4. Y279F, Y324F

Primers used for cloning are listed below

RNA Isolation

RNA was isolated using the TRI Reagent MRC (molecular research center,inc) according to the manufacturers instructions.

cDNA Synthesis

In order to synthesize cDNA from isolated RNA (see above), for eachsample [1] μg of RNA was mixed with [l]μL oligo-dT primer and made upwith water to a volume of [16] μL. The mixture was incubated at [70]° C.for [5] min and then chilled for [2] min on ice. [12] μL of thefollowing solution was added, followed by incubation for [1]h at [42]°C.:

TABLE 3   [5] μL RT buffer   [3] μL [0.1] M DTT   [2] μL dNTPs [10] mM[0.7] μL dHO [0.3] μL HPRI RNAsin   [1] μL MMLV Superscript II RT

Analytical PCR

Analytical PCR was performed using a Taq 2ReadyMix (Bio Lab), whichcontains all necessary components, beside primers and template. Usedprimers are listed below with their respective annealing temperatures.The typical number of cycles was 33-39, dependent on the sample and thegene. Actin was used as a reference gene, and a control PCR withouttemplate was performed in parallel as a control for contamination. ThePCR products were evaluated by analytical agarose gel electrophoresis.

Analysis of Different CD84 Isoforms

The different isoforms of CD84 were analyzed by the system establishedby Palou et al. (2000) Palou, E., Pirotto, F., Sole, J., Freed, J. H.,Peral, B., Vilardell, C., Vilella, R., Vives, J. & Gayá, A. (2000),‘Genomic characterization of CD84 reveals the existence of five isoformsdiffering in their cytoplasmic domains’, Tissue Antigens 55(2), 118-27,which is hereby incorporated by reference in it's entirety.

All the five isoforms of CD84 share the same sequence of theextracellular part, but differ in their intracellular sequence. Moreprecisely, CD84a, b, c and d have a similar nucleotide sequence, besidesa short “spacer” of different length in their membrane-proximalcytoplasmic part.

By using a pair of primers framing this variable part (the 5′ primer inthe extracellular, the 3′ primer in the intracellular part), one singlePCR yields fragments of different length for these isoforms. Due to acytoplasmic sequence difference from the other isoforms, CD84e can bespecifically analyzed by a pair of primers, which utilizes the sameextracellular primer as before, but an individual primer for theintracellular sequence.

TABLE 4 Isoforms of CD84 and their accession numbers GenBank accessionnumber Denom- (mRNA protein) (UniProtKB/Swiss- length ination Protidentifier)/SEQ ID NO of nucleic acids and proteins (aa) CD84a AF054816AAF21722.1 (Q9UIB8-1/25, 26) 345 CD84b Y12632 CAA73181.1 (Q9UIB8-2/27,28) 339 CD84c AF054815.1 NP_003865.1 (Q9UIB8-3/29, 30) 328 CD84dAF054817 AAF21723.1 (Q9UIB8-5/31, 32) 272 CD84e U96627 AAD04232.1(Q9UIB8-4/33, 34) 280

Primers Primers for Each Isoform

5′CD84d (SEQ ID NO: 3) TACATGCCTTAGGTCCGA NM_003874.2 3′CD84d(SEQ ID NO: 4) GAGGGAAGCACCTTGT NM_003874.2 5′CD84all  (SEQ ID NO: 5)TGCCTGCAAACCTGGCCGGAAGCA all CD84 constructs 3′CD84all (SEQ ID NO: 6)TGCAGGTTGTAGCGCTTGGTGGTGGT all CD84 constructs 5′SAP (SEQ ID NO: 7)AGCGTGCCAGGCGTGTACTG 56_C NM_002351.3 3′SAP (SEQ ID NO: 8)ACACCAGCCAACTTCCCACCA 56_C NM_002351.3 5′EAT2 (SEQ ID NO: 9)GCTCAAGGAAGGGGTGGATGGC NM_053282 3′EAT2 (SEQ ID NO: 10)TCTGGTGCTGGTGGGCAGAAC NM_053282 3′Bcl2 (SEQ ID NO: 11)ACAAGTGAAGTCAACATGCC NM_000633.2 5′Bcl2 (SEQ ID NO: 12)GCAAGTGAATGAACACCTTC NM_000633.2 Actin: (SEQ ID NO: 13) 5′TGAAGTGTGACGTGGACATCCG (SEQ ID NO: 14) 3′ GCTGTCACCTTCACCGTTCCAG

Primers for the Tyrosine Mutations

5′Y262 (SEQ ID NO: 15) GATGCTGCCTCAAAGAAAACCATATTCACATATATCATGGCTTC3′Y262 (SEQ ID NO: 16) GAAGCCATGATATATGTGAATATGGTTTTCTTTGAGGCAGCATC5′Y299 (SEQ ID NO: 17) GAGCCAGTGAACACAGTTTTTTCCGAAGTGCAGT 3′Y299(SEQ ID NO: 18) ACTGCACTTCGGAAAAAACTGTGTTCACTGGCTC 5′Y279(SEQ ID NO: 19) GCCAGCAGAGTCCAGAATCTTTGATGAAATCCTG 3′Y279(SEQ ID NO: 20) CAGGATTTCATCAAAGATTCTGGACTCTGCTGGC 5′Y324(SEQ ID NO: 21) ACCTCCTGGGACTTCAAGCTTTGAAATTGTGATCG 3′Y324(SEQ ID NO: 22) CGATCACAATTTCAAAGCTTGAAGTCCCAGGAGGT

Primers Sequence for the CD84-ECD

5′BamH1CD84 (SEQ ID NO: 23) CGTCGGATCCATGGCTCAGCACCAC 3′EcoR1CD84(SEQ ID NO: 24) TAGCGAATTCACGGAAGCCCATTGC

Antibodies

anti-Bcl-2 (C-2; Santa Cruz)anti-tubulin antibody (Sigma),peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse (Jackson Labs).CD84 activating (ab3202 abcam) antiFab (Jackson Labs).CD84 blocking (CD84.1.21 Biolegend)CD84 for IP (152-1DS santa cruz)

Generation of Stably CD84-Transfected HEK 293T Cells

HEK 293T cells were stably transfected with the CD84-full construct,which promotes the expression of myc- and His-tagged CD84, isoform c.Prior to transfection the vector was linearized to prevent integrationin a way that would disrupt the CD84 gene. The pEF4 plasmid contains theZeocin resistance gene which was used for selection of stablytransfected cells. Mammalian cells exhibit a wide range of succesibiltyto Zeocin. Hence, the first step in the generation of a stable cell lineis to determine the minimum concentration of Zeocin, required to killthe untransfected host cell line. Therefore, HEK 293T cells were seededon 6-well plates to yield [25]% confluency. After [24] h, the medium wasreplaced with medium containing varying concentrations of Zeocin: 0,150, 300, 500, 700 and [1000] μgmL. The selective medium was replenishedevery 3-4 days and the cells were observed for survival over time. Theconcentration which killed the majority and inhibited growth of thecells in 12 days was selected for the following selection procedure.Zeocin-sensitive HEK 293T can be easily differentiated from resistantcells by their vast increase in size and abnormal cell shape.

Transfection and Protein Expression of Secreted CD84-ECD

For expression and secretion of CD84-ECD protein the following protocolhas proven to be advantageous. Sixteen to twenty hours beforetransfection, HEK 293T cells were plated in 175 cm cell culture flasksto a final confluency of [75]%. A minimal amount of [30] mL completeDMEM medium and [3] mL of DNA precipitate-containing solution was usedfor transfection. Sixteen to 24 hours after transfection, the medium waschanged to serum-free DMEM for three to four days. This conditionedmedium was collected, centrifugated at [4000]g for 2 hours to removecells and debris, filtrated with a [0.2] μm filter unit and concentratedto a volume of [1] mL, using Vivaspin 20 sample concentrators. Afteraddition of [1]% Protease Inhibitor Cocktail the solution was stored at[4] ° C. for further use.

Detection of CD84 Surface Expression by Flow Cytometry

Surface expression of CD84 by stably transfected HEK 293T cells wasdetected by flow cytometry. Cells of a near-confluent [35] mm culturedish were collected without the use of trypsin. The cell suspension wasdivided into fractions of [200] μL in a 96-well plate, for the followingtreatments: cells without staining, cells incubated with secondaryantibody and duplicates of cells incubated with primary and secondaryantibody. The cells were pelletized by centrifugation at [300]g for 4minutes and resuspended in PBS containing the primary anti-CD84 antibodywith a dilution of 1:100. After incubation for 20 minutes at [4] ° c.,the cells were washed with PBS and resuspended in PBS containing theFITC-conjugated secondary anti-mouse antibody. Following incubation for20 minutes at [4] ° C., the cells were washed once more and resuspendedin [300] μL PBS. The samples were analyzed using a Becton Dickinson (BD)FACSCalibur flow cytometer. The BD Cell Quest software was used forgating and analyzing the viable population of cells.

In Vitro Cross-Linking of CD84

In order to activate the downstream signaling cascade of CD84 intransiently transfected cells, the following steps were performed. HEK293T cells were transfected with CD84-full plasmid in a 12-well cellculture dish, as described above, and [6]h post-transfection the mediumwas replenished. The cells were then incubated with [1.25] μL of Abcamanti-CD84 antibody for [30] min and subsequently with [0.5] μL of thesecondary anti-Fab antibody. For Western blot analysis, the cells wereharvested [24] h after activation.

Co-Immunoprecipitation

The co-immuniprecipitation (co-IP) can be used to identify members ofprotein complexes. Therefore, [30] μL of protein-G sepharose beads werecoated with [3] μg CD84 or IgG control antibody. HEK 293T cells weretransfected in a [35] mm cell culture dish with [1] μg CD84-full and [1]μg CD74 plasmid, [24]h prior to harvest. The immuno-precipitate wasprepared as follows: The cells were harvested, the pellet wasimmediately frozen in liquid N, and then resuspended in [300]μL lysisbuffer for IP. After incubation for [30] min on ice, the solution wascentrifugated for [30] min at [18000]g and the supernatant was dividedinto two fractions: [30]μL (for use as a total protein sample) weremixed with [6]μL 5μ sample buffer with [1]% β-mercaptoethanol followingincubation at [99] ° C. for [10] min. The remaining lysate was incubatedovernight with the coated beads under constant agitation. The beads werewashed twice with IP solution 1 and once with IP solution 2. Aftercomplete removal of the supernatant, [35]μL sample buffer withβ-mercaptoethanol were added to the precipitate. After mixing and briefcentrifugation the supernatant was used for analysis by SDS-PAGE andWestern blotting.

Protein Sample Preparation from HEK 293T Cells with RIPA

Cell culture medium was removed and the adherent cells were washedcarefully with ice-cold PBS. The cells were detached, resuspended in 1ml PBS, and pelleted at [300] g for [4] min. The supernatant was removedand the pellet was resuspended in the appropriate volume of RIPA bufferwith [1]% protease inhibitors. A minimal volume of [100] μL per [10] cmgrowth area (average cell yield for a confluent [35] mm culture plate)was used. The suspension was incubated on ice under periodic agitationfor thirty minutes and then centrifugated at [18000]g for [30] min.Centrifugation was performed at [4] ° C. The supernatant was transferredto a new tube and combined 1:5 with 5 μl sample buffer ([1]%β-mercaptoethanol). Afterwards, the solution was boiled for 10 minutesat [99] ° C. and frozen at [−20] ° C. until analysis by SDS-PAGE andWestern blotting.

Protein Sample Preparation from HEK 293T Cells with Hot-SDS

Cells were washed, harvested and pelleted. The pellet was loosened bystrong agitation and pre-heated ([99] ° C.) Hot-SDS solution was added.A minimal volume of [100] μL per [10] cm growth area (average cell yieldfor a confluent [35] mm culture plate) was used. The sample was boiledfor [2] min at [99] ° C. and then shock-frozen in liquid nitrogen for atleast four minutes. Afterwards, the sample was boiled again for [2] min,subjected to sonication on ice and combined 1:5 with 5 μl sample buffer([1]% β-mercaptoethanol)

Protein Purification from Conditioned Medium Using FLPC

Affinity chromatography is based on specific and reversible adsorptionof a molecule to a matrix-bound binding partner. The nature of bindingoccurs either naturally (e.g., as for antigen—antibody) or can begenetically introduced to a protein, with specific “tags”. A specialgroup of affinity chromatography methods utilizes immobilized metalchelating groups: Multivalent transition metal ions are bound to theresin in a way that allows free coordinate bonds to interact with basicgroups of proteins. The here used His-tag achieves such a strongcomplexation of Ni ions, which can be utilized for affinitychromatography, when using a resin with immobilized nickel ions. Afteradsorption of the protein to the column, it is washed and can eventuallybe eluted in high concentrations of imidazole, which competes with theHis-tag for Ni-complexation and displaces the protein. Followingpurification, concentrated samples of each purification step and of thedifferent peaks are typically analyzed by SDS-PAGE followed by WesternBlotting and Coomassie staining of the gel.

Nickel Affinity Chromatography

In general a protein purification with Ni columns consisted of thefollowing steps:

1. washing the column with water to remove residual ethanol from storage2. equilibration of the column with PBS containing [20] mM imidazole3. loading of the solution which contains the His-tagged protein4. washing the column with PBS containing [20] mM imidazole5. eluting the protein with PBS containing [250] mM imidazole

For each washing and equilibration step, a volume of at least 10 timesof the column volume was used. If not noted otherwise, the flow rate was[5] mLmin. The protein was concentrated as described above (Transfectionand protein expression of secreted CD84-ECD) and diluted 1:10 in PBSwith [20] mM imidazole. The protein solution was applied to theequilibrated HisTrap HP [5] mL Ni sepharose column at flow rates between1 and [3] mLmin. The column was washed with PBS containing [20] mMimidazole, which prevents unspecific binding of proteins rich inhistidine. The elution of the protein was carried out using PBS,containing [250] mM imidazole. The applied ÄKTA Basic FPLC system allowsfor immediate monitoring of the eluate by means of absorptionmeasurements of three different UV wavelengths, pH and conductance. Thisway, proper fractions could be taken “on-the-fly”. The fractions of thepresumptive protein peak were pooled, concentrated to a volume of 1-[2]mL using Vivaspin 20 sample concentrators and subjected to gelfiltration as described (see below).

Size-Exclusion Chromatography

Size-exclusion chromatography, also known as gel filtration, separatesmolecules by their size and is based on the differential permeation ofan analyte into a porous resin with controlled pore size. Largemolecules, which are unable to penetrate the pores, elute concomitantlywith the solvent front (exclusion volume). Smaller molecules infiltratethe pores and are retained. Thus, the smallest components have thelongest detention time and are eluted last.

The pooled, concentrated fractions of the Ni affinity chromatographywere loaded onto a 16/60 Superdex 200 column (preparation grade) byinjection into the FPLC system. The proteins were eluted at a flow rateof [5] mLmin with PBS as the eluent. Fractions were collected accordingto the UV absorption and changes in pH of the eluate. After pooling andconcentrating the different peak fractions, samples were analyzed bySDS-PAGE, followed by Western blotting and Coomassie staining. Theprotein concentration of the samples was determined by the Bradfordassay.

Proteolytic Digestion and Protein Identification by ESI-MS/MS

In order to verify the identity of the CD84-ECD protein, the presumptiveband of the Coomassie-stained gel was excised and analyzed byproteolytic digestion followed by electrospray ionization massspectrometry. The procedure was carried out by the Biological ServiceUnit at the Weizmann Institute.

Example 1 Identification of CD84 Target Genes

The initial goal of the present study was to identify target genes ofCD74 and their role in B-CLL cell survival, using cells obtained frompatients at the Hematology Institute at the Kaplan Medical Center.

Identification of CD74 Target Genes—

to this end, B-cells from B-CLL (also referred to as B-CLL cells)patients were incubated in the presence or absence of MIF (100 ng/ml),the Affymetrix GeneChip® expression analysis system was used to comparethe expression patterns of RNA from these two populations. In thisanalysis, RNA from MIF-stimulated cells was compared to RNA derived fromunstimulated cells. Many genes were found to be differentially expressedin these populations; one striking example was CD84, whose expressionwas markedly elevated in the MIF-induced B-CLL cells.

CD84 Expression Levels in B-CLL Cells—

CD84 cell surface expression levels were compared in circulating B-CLLcells to levels on normal circulating mature B cells. Purified B cellsfrom healthy subjects as well as early- and advanced-stage B-CLLpatients were analyzed by means of RT-PCR for the presence of CD84 mRNA(a segment common to all isoforms). As shown in FIG. 1A, low levels ofCD84 mRNA were detected in normal B cells, while elevated levels of CD84mRNA were observed in all the CLL patients, regardless of the stage ofdisease.

Next, flow cytometry (FACS) analysis was used to determine whether theseelevated levels of CD84 were expressed on the cell surface of B-CLLcells. As shown in FIG. 1B, higher levels of CD84 were expressed on thecell surface of all B-CLL cells, when compared to normal B cells. Theseresults were uniformly seen in all the samples examined, regardless ofthe clinical parameters of the patients, including stage of the disease[either RAI or Binet, Cheson B D, Bennett J M, Greyer M, et al. NationalCancer Institute-sponsored Working Group guidelines for chroniclymphocytic leukemia: revised guidelines for diagnosis and treatment.Blood. 1996; 87:4990-4997 (See Table 5, below)].

TABLE 5 CD84 Expression levels as determined by FACS % of CD84 cellsurface normal B cells normal 14 normal 15 CLL-B cells early 76 advanced58 early 79 advanced 83 early 87 advanced 66 advanced 71 early 73 early81 early 71 early 81 advanced 71 advanced 82 av (CLL) 75.3 SD (CLL) 7Fold of CD84 expression following MIF stimulation advanced 1.3 advanced1.8 early 1.5 early 1.3 advanced 1.4 early 1.6 advanced 1.6 advanced 1.4advanced 1.5 av 1.5 sd 0.15

CD84 is Modulated by CD74—

To verify that CD84 expression is indeed modulated by CD74, thetranscript level of CD84 were analyzed by RT-PCR in MIF-stimulated B-CLLB-cells compared to unstimulated cells. As seen in FIG. 2A, CD74 indeeddramatically elevated CD84 mRNA levels. This elevation also resulted inan increase in its cell surface expression (FIGS. 2B-2C).

ISO-1 is a non-toxic inhibitor of MIF that binds to bioactive MIF at itsN-terminal tautomerase site [Dios A, Mitchell R A, Aljabari B, et al.Inhibition of MIF bioactivity by rational design of pharmacologicalinhibitors of MIF tautomerase activity. J Med Chem. (2002);45:2410-2416]. To determine whether MIF secreted from B-CLL regulatesCD84 expression, the mRNA levels of MIF were analyzed in cells incubatedin the presence or absence of this inhibitor. Furthermore, ISO-1significantly downregulated CD84 mRNA levels (FIG. 2C) and cell surfaceexpression levels (FIG. 2D), showing that MIF regulates B-CLL CD84expression levels.

Example 2 Activation of Cell Surface CD84 in B-CLL Cells Initiates aSurvival Cascade in B-CLL and HEK 293 Cells

To determine whether cell surface CD84 transmits a signal that resultsin activation of downstream signaling cascades in B-CLL cells, CD84 wascross-linked with anti-CD84 or control IgG1 antibody mAb (Abcam, TangyeS G, van de Weerdt B C M, Avery D T, Hodgkin P D. CD84 is up-regulatedon a major population of human memory B cells and recruits the SH2domain containing proteins SAP and EAT-2. European Journal ofImmunology. 2002; 32:1640-1649). The cells were then washed, and boundmAb was cross-linked with F(ab′) 2 goat anti-mouse Ig. CD84 tyrosinephosphorylation was determined following its ligation. As shown in FIG.3A, CD84 ligation induces its own tyrosine phosphorylation. Next theCD84 downstream cascade was followed, and especially its role in B-CLLsurvival. It was previously demonstrated that stimulation of cellsurface CD74 on B-CLL cells results in elevation of IL-8 and Bcl-2expression (Binsky I, Haran M, Starlets D, et al. IL-8 secreted in amacrophage migration-inhibitory factor- and CD74-dependent mannerregulates B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia survival. Proc Natl AcadSci USA. 2007; 104:13408-13413). Therefore, IL-8 and Bcl-2 mRNA levelswere determined following CD84 stimulation. B-CLL were incubated in thepresence or absence of anti-CD84, and the mRNA levels of IL-8 and Bcl-2,which were previously shown to regulate B-CLL survival was analyzed. Asshown in FIG. 3B, anti-CD84 stimulation upregulated IL-8 and Bcl-2 mRNAlevels, and Bcl-2 protein levels indicating that activation of B-CLLCD84 initiates a survival cascade.

To determine whether the human CD84 (hCD84) survival cascade is specificto B-CLL cells, or whether this molecule can trigger a similar cascadein additional cells including normal cells, CD84 signaling wasdetermined in HEK 293-transfected cells which express low levels ofendogenous CD84 resulting in a C-terminal c-myc epitope-tagged versionof CD84. The human CD84 isoform C (the major isoform found in B-CLLcells) was cloned to pEF4/Myc-His vector construct. To reveal whetherhCD84 induces a survival cascade in HEK 293 cells, its effect on thetranscription of Bcl-2 was examined Full-length hCD84 indeed inducedBcl-2 transcription in these cells. Moreover, ligation of cell surfacehCD84 with an activating anti-CD84 antibody significantly elevated thelevels of Bcl-2 transcription in HEK 293 cells (FIG. 4 A). Thiselevation was a specific response to CD84 stimulation and did not occurin cells transfected with an empty construct (FIG. 4B). Thus, similar tothe pathway that was demonstrated in B-CLL cells, CD84 activates a cellsurvival pathway resulting in Bcl-2 transcription in 293 cells.

To directly demonstrate that stimulation with anti-CD84 agonisticantibody induces B-CLL cell survival, B-CLL cells were incubated in thepresence or absence of anti-CD84 mAb and a control antibody (IgG1) for24 h. The cells were then analyzed for apoptosis by Annexin staining, aspreviously described (Gore Y, Starlets D, Maharshak N, et al. Macrophagemigration inhibitory factor (MIF) induces B cell survival by activationof a CD74/CD44 receptor complex. J Biol Chem. 2008; 283:2784-2792). Asshown in FIG. 5, CD84 stimulation reduced the percentage ofAnnexin-positive cells. Thus, it is suggested that CD74 regulates B-CLLsurvival by upregulating CD84 cell surface expression levels. Activationof CD84 induces expression of Bcl-2, which regulates B-CLL survival.

Example 3 Expression of CD84 Isoforms in B-CLL

There are at least five different isoforms of CD84. In order todetermine whether those isoforms might have distinct functions and aspecific isoform might play a role in B-CLL cells, the expressionpattern of the various isoforms in B-CLL cells was analyzed. To followthe CD84 mRNA isoforms on the mRNA level, a semi-quantitative RT-PCRapproach was chosen, using oligonucleotides designed by \citen{palou_genomic_2000}.

The primer pairs 5′CD84comu/3′CD84alt2 flank a region starting in theextracellular part and ending in the last exon, which is common to allisoforms except CD84e. Therefore, this primer pair generates PCRproducts for all isoforms except CD84e, which can be analyzed by theprimer pair 5′CD84comu/3′CD84orig. To minimize unspecific PCR products,the annealing temperature was optimized and increased from 60 to 64° C.Another primer pair, specific for CD84d was designed. mRNA from 12different B-CLL patients were compared to mRNA from healthy persons.FIGS. 6A-6B the result of exemplary experiments.

In all tested samples (13 patients) CD84c was the dominate isoform inhealthy, early and advanced stage B-CLL patients. In all the samplesanalyzed, there was no clear correlation in CD84d and CD83e mRNA levelsin control and B-CLL samples.

Example 4 CD84 Tyrosine Signaling Motifs as Mediators of the SurvivalSignal

To analyze CD84 signaling cascade in HEK 293T cells, tyrosines involvedin the survival cascade were first analyzed. Therefore, point mutants inthe four tyrosine motifs of CD84c were designed. Two of these mutatedtyrosines (Y262 and Y299) are consensus motifs for SH2-interactions withSAP/EAT2/SHP-2. Little is known about the other two SH2-interactingmotifs (Y279 and Y324), from which Y324 resembles an ITIM motif\citep{vila_the_2007}. As shown in FIG. 7, two different mutants, onemissing Y262 and Y299 and the other one missing Y279 and Y324 weregenerated.

To determine which motifs regulate Bcl-2 expression, HEK 293T cells weretransiently transfected with CD84-full, CD84 [Y262F, Y299F], CD84[Y279F, Y324] and empty vector as a control. The cells were plated togive a confluence of about 70% in order to achieve detectable changes inthe expression of Bcl-2. Following 24-40 h the cells were harvested andthe expression of the constructs was verified by probing with anti-mycantibody (not shown). Bcl-2 protein levels were analyzed by Western blotanalysis. As can be seen from FIGS. 8A-8D Bcl-2 activation was mostpronounced for the wild-type form, indicating that the examinedtyrosines are important for Bcl-2 expression. The effect of CD84 ECD (asdescribed below) on Bcl-2 expression is further shown in FIG. 8D.

To further follow the CD84 donwstream cascade TAp63 mRNA levels in HEKtransfected cells were analyzed at different time points aftertransfection. As shown in FIG. 9, there was an increase in TAp63 mRNAexpression in CD84-full transfected cells, compared to empty vectortransfected cells, while the tyrosine mutations ablated this CD84induced effect.

Example 5 Design, Expression and Purification of a Soluble CD84 Protein(CD84-ECD)

Beside selective activation of specific cell surface receptors, blockingof signaling is a desirable tool for studying the function of receptors,which have unknown function or unknown mechanisms of action.

As CD84 is a self-ligand, expression of its extracellular domain canresult in inhibition of cell-surface CD84 activation in a competitivemanner. Therefore, a construct of myc/his6 tagged extracellular domainof CD84 (CD84-ECD) was generated (FIG. 10A). HEK 293T cells weretransfected with the CD84-ECD construct and the cells' conditionedmedium (CM) was collected. To prove the secretion of the protein, the CMwas subjected to SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. Probing withanti-myc antibodies showed a prominent band between 43 kDa and 50 kDa(shown in FIG. 10B).

Recombinant CD84-ECD protein was purified from CM with a FLPC system.FIG. 11 shows the elution profile of the gel filtration chromatographywith a calibrated Sephadex 200 column, followed by UV absorption. Threedistinct peaks could be observed with retention times far above theexpected size of monomeric CD84-ECD. Analysis of the eluted fractions ofpeak 1-−3 and of the Ni2+ affinity chromatography samples by SDS-PAGEand Coomassie staining or Western blot confirmed that myc- andHis6-tagged CD84-ECD protein was actually present in peak 1 and 2 (FIG.10C) with the main amount in peak 2 at 65-75 mL elution volume. Toverify the identity of the protein, the band of peak 2 was excised fromthe Comassie stained gel and was analyzed by proteolytic digestionfollowed by ESI-MS/MS (FIG. 10D). 18 protein fragments covering aminoacids 51 to 220 could be detected.

In order to determine the yield of produced protein, the eluted peak 2from the gel filtration was concentrated to a volume of 500 μl. For 100ml medium or a cell culture surface area of 525 cm² the yield of proteinwas determined to be 50 μg, which is 1 μg/10 cm² (for 3 days ofexpression).

In order to utilize the CD84-ECD as a competitive blocking molecule forCD84, HEK 293T cells were transfected with CD84-full and CD84-ECD andCD84-ECD effect on CD84 function was analyzed. As a first experiment,HEK 293T cells were transfected with equal amounts of total plasmid DNAof empty vector, CD84-full or CD84-full and CD84-ECD. The proteinexpression was verified by Western blot analysis with anti-myc antibody(FIG. 12A). Due to the different CD84-full plasmid DNA amounts, lessCD84-full was expressed in the co-transfected cells.CD84-full-transfected cells showed an increase in Bcl-2 expression,compared to empty vector-transfected cells. This increase was abolishedin cells co-transfected with CD84-ECD (FIG. 12A). As FIG. 12B shows,transfection with CD84-ECD alone had no significant effect on Bcl-2expression levels. Since the different amounts of CD84-full might beresponsible for the lower Bcl-2 expression in the co-transfected cells,a similar experiment with equal amounts of CD84-full plasmid DNA wasperformed with a similar outcome (FIG. 12c ).

Another approach was to transfect the established CD84 cell lines withCD84-EDC. HEK 293T cells and the cell line CD84s20 were transfected withempty or CD84-ECD vectors. After 24 h the mRNA levels were analyzed bysemiquantitative RT-PCR with Actin as a reference gene (FIG. 13). WhileHEK 293T cells showed no substantial change in Bcl-2 expressionfollowing CD84-ECD transfection, the stable cell line exhibited aremarkable decrease in both Bcl-2 and p63 mRNA levels.

To directly show the effect of CD84-ECD on CD84 induced survivalcascade, conditioned medium derived from CD84-ECD transfect cells wascollected (see FIG. 14). The CM was concentrated and diluted again inthe cell culture medium to reach a final CD84-ECD concentration of 0.3μg/ml, which was approximately the amount of CD84-ECD in the previousexperiments or 3.75 μg/mL CD84-ECD (which should lead toCD84-cross-linking by high amounts of protein, adhered to surfaces).CD84-expressing cell line were incubated in the presence or absence ofthe low or high concentrated CM. As shown in FIG. 14 low levels ofCD84-ECD inhibited the elevation of the Bcl-2 mRNA compared to emptyvector transfected cells. Incubation with the high CD84-ECDconcentration resulted in a dramatic Bcl-2 increase. Taken togetherthese results, the extracellular domain of CD84 is a promising candidatefor further research in order to find a blocking molecule for CD84.

Example 6 Anti CD84 Antibodies which can be Used as NeutralizingAntibodies or Activating Antibodies Hybrydoma Protocol

CD84-ECD protein was purified from conditioned medium derived from 293transfected with the CD84-ECD construct. Mice were injected for 5 monthswith CD84-ECD. Following positive ELISA test bleeding for antibodiesagainst CD84-ECD, spleens were removed, lymphocytes were isolated andmixed with NSO cells. Hybridoma were selected and their sup wereanalyzed for recognition of CD84-ECD using ELISA assay.

To determine whether cell surface CD84 transmits a signal that resultsin activation of downstream signaling cascades in B-CLL cells, CD84 wascross-linked with anti-CD84 (Santa Cruz) or control IgG1 antibody mAb(Abcam) [Tangye, 2002]. The cells were then washed, and bound mAb wascross-linked with F(ab′)2 goat anti-mouse Ig. CD84 tyrosinephosphorylation was first examined following ligation. As shown in FIG.3A, CD84 activation induced phosphorylation of its cytoplasmic tail,indicating the initiation of a signaling cascade. Next the CD84downstream cascade was examinrf, and especially its role in B-CLLsurvival. It was previously shown that stimulation of cell surface CD74on B-CLL cells results in elevation of IL-8 and Bcl-2 expression[Binsky, 2007]. Therefore IL-8 and Bcl-2 mRNA levels were analyzedfollowing CD84 stimulation. B-CLL were incubated in the presence orabsence of anti-CD84, and mRNA levels of IL-8 and BCL-2 were analyzed.As shown in FIG. 3B, CD84 stimulation upregulated IL-8 and Bcl-2 mRNAlevels, indicating that activation of B-CLL CD84 initiates a survivalcascade.

To directly determine whether CD74 induces B-CLL survival in a CD84dependent manner, CD84 activity was blocked using a commerciallyavailable CD84 blocking antibody (CD84.1.21 Biolegend) and the the MIFinduced survival cascade was followed. Bcl-2 mRNA mRNA (FIG. 15A) andprotein (FIG. 15B) levels were analyzed and cell survival was analyzedby FLICA staining (FIG. 15C). Blocking CD84 downregulated Bcl-2expression and elevated cell death in MIF-treated cells, showing thatCD84 is an essential component in the CD74-induced survival cascade.

To determine whether the monoclonal antibodies for CD84 transmit asignal that results in activation or inhibition of the CD84 downstreamsignaling cascades in B-CLL cells, CLL cells were treated withsupernatant derived from hybridoma D1-300 and F8-500.18 h later Bcl-2mRNA levels were analyzed by Real time-PCR. As shown in FIGS. 16A-16B,incubation with antibodies derived from D1-300 hybridoma resulted inupregulation of Bcl-2 mRNA levels (FIG. 16A) as well as reduces theapoptotic population (FIG. 16B), indicating that this hybridomaactivates B-CLL CD84 survival cascade. However, incubation withantibodies derived from F8-500 hybridoma downregulated Bcl-2 mRNA levels(FIG. 16A) and induced cell death (FIG. 16B), indicating that thishybridoma inhibits CD84 signaling cascade. To further analyze theinhibitory effect of antibodies derived from hybridoma F8-500, B-CLLcells were treated with MIF together with the antibodies derived fromhybridoma F8-500. The apoptotic population was then analyzed by magicred staining. As shown in FIG. 17, hybridoma F8-500 eliminated theMIF-induced survival cascade, indicating that CD84, is an essentialcomponent in the CD74-induced survival cascade and its blockage inducescell death.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modificationsand variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the appended claims.

All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated in their entirety by referenceinto the specification, to the same extent as if each individualpublication, patent or patent application was specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. Inaddition, citation or identification of any reference in thisapplication shall not be construed as an admission that such referenceis available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent thatsection headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarilylimiting. In addition, any priority document(s) of this applicationis/are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its/their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of inducing apoptosis in B cells of asubject having B-CLL, the method comprising administering to the subjecta therapeutically effective amount of an agent which downregulates anexpression level and/or an activity of CD84, thereby inducing apoptosisin B cells of the subject.
 2. A method of treating B-CLL in a subject inneed thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject atherapeutically effective amount of an agent which downregulates anexpression level and/or an activity of CD84, thereby treating B-CLL. 3.A method of diagnosing and treating B-CLL in a subject in need thereof,the method comprising: (a) detecting expression of CD84 isoform C (SEQID NO: 30) in a biological sample from the subject; (b) diagnosing thesubject with B-CLL when an increase in a level of said CD84 isoform C(SEQ ID NO: 30) is detected beyond a predetermined threshold withrespect to said level of said CD84 isoform C in a biological sample froma healthy individual; and (c) administering to the diagnosed subject atherapeutically effective amount of an agent which downregulates anexpression level and/or an activity of CD84, thereby diagnosing andtreating B-CLL in the subject.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein saidbiological sample comprises B cells and wherein said detecting is insaid B cells.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising isolating Bcells from said biological sample prior to said detecting.
 6. The methodof claim 3, wherein said detecting is effected at the mRNA level.
 7. Themethod of claim 3, wherein said detecting is effected at the proteinlevel.
 8. The method of claim 3, further comprising corroborating thediagnosis using a diagnostic assay selected from surface markerexpression distinctive of said CD84 isoform c, karyotype analysis andgermline mutations.
 9. The method of claim 3, further comprisinginforming the subject of the disease.
 10. The method of claim 3, whereinsaid agent which downregulates an expression level and/or an activity ofCD84 is a CD84 neutralizing antibody.
 11. An isolated polypeptidecomprising an amino acid sequence of a soluble CD84, wherein saidsoluble CD84 binds CD84 expressed on B cells and inhibits its homophilicinteraction.
 12. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a soluble CD84,wherein said soluble CD84 binds CD84 expressed on B cells and inhibitsits homophilic interaction.
 13. An isolated polynucleotide comprising anucleic acid sequence encoding the soluble CD84 of claim
 11. 14. Theisolated polypeptide of claim 11, wherein said amino acid sequence ofsaid soluble CD84 is as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 2. 15. Thepharmaceutical composition of claim 12, wherein said amino acid sequenceof said soluble CD84 is as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 2. 16. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said agent which downregulates said expression leveland/or said activity of CD84 is a nucleic acid agent for silencing CD84expression.
 17. The method of claim 2, wherein said agent whichdownregulates said expression level and/or said activity of CD84 is anucleic acid agent for silencing CD84 expression.